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Novak Djokovic vs Diego Schwartzman Odds & Preview ATP Italian Open Finals

Hayley Graham

by Hayley Graham in Tennis

Updated Mar 8, 2021 · 11:51 AM PST

Djokovic vs Medvedev
Serbia's Novak Djokovic reacts after winning a point against Russia's Aslan Karatsev during their match at the Australian Open Tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
  • The 2020 Italian Open final will take place on Monday, September 20
  • Novak Djokovic will be taking on Diego Schwartzman who defeated Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals
  • This will be Djokovic’s 10th Italian Open final

The Italian Open finals will be taking place Monday at 11AM EST.

Number one seed Novak Djokovic is looking to win his fifth final of the year, ahead of the French Open. He is the heavy favorite going into the match against eighth-seeded Diego Schwartzman.

Djokovic vs Schwartzman Italian Finals Odds

Player Spread Moneyline Total
Novak Djokovic -4.5 (-137) -500 O 20.5 (-113)
Diego Schwartzman +4.5 (+108) +370 U 20.5 (-113)

Odds taken Sept 20 from DraftKings

Djokovic’s Road to the Finals

Djokovic made headlines at the US Open last week, but unfortunately not for his dominant tennis play.

The Serbian has been playing unbelievable tennis in 2020, having gone undefeated and was looking to capture another Grand Slam prior to being defaulted.

After entering the Italian Open, he has not seemed to miss a beat, having only dropped one set in his four matches in Rome. The Italian Open final is Djokovic’s fifth of the year, and he has yet to lose one.

 

Djokovic defeated his semifinal opponent, Casper Ruud in a 7-5, 6-3 straight set win on Sunday. 1,000 fans were allowed in the building to watch the match, adding to the environment. Djokovic had to save two set points and collected five aces in a single game.

It’s pretty tough to imagine anyone beating Djokovic this year with the type of tennis he’s playing. Clay is not Djokovic’s favorite surface to play on, and he hasn’t been at his best this tournament, but that is still arguably better than most. But despite that, his play is still so dominant compared to others.

He’s looking to win his fifth Italian Open.

Schwartzman’s Road to the Finals

After stunning the tennis world in his quarterfinal match where he defeated Rafael Nadal in straight sets, Schwartzman booked himself a ticket to the final of the Italian Open. The Argentinian player beat Denis Shapovalov 4-6, 7-5, 6(4)-7(7) in a match that lasted over three hours.

Schwartzman has made a name for himself this tournament with his remarkable return game and amazing timing. These two assets in particular really helped him prevail in his semifinal match against his Canadian opponent. Schwartzman enters the final looking to upset Djokovic and win his first ever Masters 1000 title of his career.

Head-to-Head

Djokovic and Schwartzman’s head-to-head record starts with the round of 128 at the 2014 US Open, where Djokovic defeated the then 22 year-old in straight sets. Nole holds the edge with a 4-0 record against Schwartzman, including a semifinal win at the 2019 Italian Open.

Djokovic vs Schwartzman Head-to-Head Stats

Novak Djokovic
VS
Diego Schwartzman
1 ATP Ranking 15
33 Age 28
4 Head-to-Head Wins 0
2 Sets Dropped to Each Other 12

The two have really only played each other at big tournaments, including three Grand Slams. The most recent match was at this year’s Australian Open where Djokovic won in straight sets.

YouTube video

Djokovic’s serve is one of the biggest ones on tour, and serving is not one of Schwartzman’s strongest attributes. The fact that even their serves don’t measure up could be an indication of how the match will go.

Schwartzman’s returns have been extremely impressive, but so are Djokovic’s. It doesn’t seem that Schwartzman has the upper hand in any part of the game against Djokovic.

Djokovic will be going into the match on Monday looking to win a record-breaking 36th Masters 1000 title. It is very possible he does that as this should be a fairly easy match to win for Djokovic, most likely defeating Schwartzman in straight sets.

Best Bet: Djokovic (-500)

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