Start time: 1400, 11/10/2020
Stadium: Philippe Chatrier
TV: ITV4
The French Open has thrown up the men’s singles final everyone was hoping for, with Rafael Nadal fancied to defeat Novak Djokovic at his beloved Roland Garros.
King of clay Nadal will bid to reign supreme at this tournament for the 13th time, while world No 1 Djokovic is unbeaten in 2020.
Opinions are very much divided over how the dream decider will pan out, but we’re siding with the Spaniard to prevail 3-1 at 16/5 for our first Djokovic vs Nadal prediction.
A Look At Novak Djokovic’s Betting Odds
Djokovic is chasing an 18th grand slam title and has won all 31 of his completed matches this year, the sole blip being a freak disqualification at the US Open.
The Serbian superstar breezed through the first four rounds of this tournament, but clay is his least favourite surface and the last two victories have lacked sparkle.
He had to come from behind against Pablo Carreno Busta in the quarter-finals and Stefanos Tsitsipas took Djokovic all the way to five sets in the semis.
Djokovic leads Nadal 29-26 in career meetings and has won 10 of their last 13 encounters, but he trails 17-7 on the red stuff and 6-1 at Roland Garros.
“Obviously, the conditions are different than the ones that we are used to playing in May and June,” said Djokovic.
“I think that could be a better chance for me, with the ball not bouncing as high over the shoulder as he likes it usually.
“Regardless of the conditions, he’s still there, he’s Rafa, he’s in the finals and we’re playing on clay. He’s lost twice in his entire career on this court.”
Looking at the Djokovic vs Nadal odds, we like 11/10 for the Serbian to win fewer than two sets.
A Look At Rafael Nadal’s Betting Odds
Nadal is gunning for his 20th grand slam title to tie Roger Federer’s record and is once again through to the French Open final without dropping a set.
The Spaniard did have to overcome a minor third-set wobble to defeat Diego Schwartzman 6-3 6-3 7-6, but played a perfect tie-break to take it 7-0.
Reflecting on that performance, the 34-year-old said: “It was an important victory for me against a very tough player.
“To win against Diego, you have to work a lot and you have to play well for such a long time.”
The Spaniard’s overall record at Roland Garros now stands at a remarkable 99-2 and he has never lost a semi or final at this event.
Nadal added: “To play against Novak, I need to play my best. Without playing my best tennis, the situation is very difficult.
“But I know this is a court that I have been playing well on for such a long time, so that helps.”
Having complained about the cold weather during the early rounds, Nadal has warmed to the task and it is just so hard to oppose him on his beloved Philippe Chatrier surface.
Let’s finish off our Djokovic vs Nadal betting tips by taking a bwin price boost of 11/4 for the king of clay to win the first set 6-3 or 6-4.
Additional stats
Semi-final results:
DJOKOVIC bt Tsitsipas 6-3 6-2 5-7 4-6 6-1
NADAL bt Schwartzman 6-3 6-3 7-6
Head to head: Djokovic 29-26 Nadal
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