Novak Djokovic is an overwhelming favourite to become the first man to win 23 grand slam singles titles by beating Casper Ruud in the French Open final.
The 36-year-old Serbian has not lost a slam match for more than a year and holds a 4-0 lead over Ruud from past meetings.
We reckon 13/5 for Nole to prevail 3-1 in Sunday’s decider is the way to go with our first Novak Djokovic vs Casper Ruud prediction.
Djokovic delights in silencing Paris boo-boys
Djokovic made smooth progress through the opening four rounds without dropping a set, although 29th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina did take him to a couple of tiebreaks.
He had to come from behind to beat number 11 Karen Khachanov in the quarter-finals and looked set for a tough semi against Carlos Alcaraz.
The 20-year-old world number one won an electrifying second set to level the contest and it felt like he might be grabbing the ascendancy at that point.
However, Alcaraz was then rocked by cramp and Djokovic triumphed 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1 to reach a 34th grand slam final.
“First and foremost, I have to say tough luck for Carlos,” said Djokovic. “At this level, the last thing you want is cramps. I feel for him and hope he can recover and come back very soon.”
When asked about being booed on several occasions throughout that match, not for the first time over the past fortnight, the Serbian provided a ruthless response, though.
“I don’t mind,” he said with a wry smile. “It’s not the first, probably not the last – I’ll just keep winning.”
This will be a first five-set clash with Ruud and Djokovic has won the previous four contests 2-0, but the opening sets have been competitive.
Only one has been settled in under 11 games and that was 6-4 in Rome last year, so the chances of an early blow-out appear slim.
Looking at the Novak Djokovic vs Casper Ruud odds, we like 9/5 for the first set to last more than 10 games.
Ruud is at his best on the red stuff
Ruud was thrashed 6-3 6-3 6-0 by Rafael Nadal when reaching his first grand slam final here 12 months ago.
However, he showed the benefit of that experience when far more competitive in last year’s US Open final before falling 6-4 2-6 7-6 6-3 to Alcaraz.
The Norwegian also made it through to the 2022 ATP Finals decider in Turin, when beaten 7-5 6-3 by Djokovic.
He struggled at the beginning of this season but has found top form again at Roland Garros.
Ruud’s early performances in Paris this year were solid, rather than spectacular, but he impressed in a 6-1 6-2 3-6 6-3 quarter-final defeat of sixth seed Holger Rune.
The 24-year-old then really made people sit up and take notice by hammering Alexander Zverev 6-3 6-4 6-0 in the semis.
“I just went out there and tried to play without too many feelings, without thinking too much,” he said.
“I just played really well and, from the beginning to the last point, everything was sort of going my way. I’m just very happy to win this match. Hopefully, third time can be the charm for me.”
The feeling is that Ruud could challenge Djokovic early on his favourite surface, with nine of his 10 ATP Tour titles having been won on clay.
His supporters can get 2/1 for the fourth seed to take the opening set and the same price to win the second, which will be seen as value in some Novak Djokovic vs Casper Ruud betting tips.
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