Novak Djokovic vs Alexander Zverev Odds & Prediction – US Open Men’s Singles Semifinals

• Novak Djokovic is the favorite – but not an overwhelming one – in his US Open semifinal against Alexander Zverev
• The match will take place Friday, September 10 at 7:00 pm ET, the second men’s singles semifinal of the day
• Read on as we break down the matchup, and find some value picks for a match Djokovic appears fated to win

Compared to some of the -20000 odds Novak Djokovic had in the early rounds of this year’s US Open, he’s a relatively mild favorite for Friday’s semifinal match against Alexander Zverev of Germany.

Which doesn’t mean that most don’t expect him to prevail, and go for the calendar Grand Slam on Sunday afternoon.

It just means that given the quality of the opponent, it’s hardly a slam-dunk.

Djokovic vs Zverev Odds

Odds as of Sept. 9 at DraftKings

Few Worrisome Moments on Djokovic’s Path

Djokovic has dropped a set in four of his five matches so far. In the last three sets, he has dropped the first set before taking over.

And yet, rarely has he ever looked in trouble.

The opening round against 18-year-old debutant Holger Rune had its moments. But the kid couldn’t keep the pace physically and by the end, was cramping up.

Holger Rune has the respect of Novak Djokovic after the 18-year-old battled through with cramps to complete the match 👏#USOpen pic.twitter.com/yS6KDUClNO

— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) September 1, 2021

His first set against another kid, American Jenson Brooksby, was a blowout. But then, slowly, he figured out the 20-year-old’s unorthodox game. And once he did, it was pretty much lights out.

Djokovic Looking Like a Grand Slam Winner

In a rematch of the Wimbledon final, hard-serving Italian Matteo Berrettini might have given Djokovic a tough challenge on the hard courts. And he did, for a time.

But again, once Djokovic sunk his teeth into the match, it was only a matter of counting the games.

Zverev on a Gold Medal Roll

Meanwhile, Zverev is keeping the lowest profile of any of the contenders – perhaps not intentionally.

But with a lot of conversation swirling about some off-field issues, he’s acting like all is well, all is normal, and just going about playing an impressive level of tennis.

Novak Djokovic vs Alexander Zverev Head-to-Head

No Problem with Lloyd Harris

While the South African Lloyd Harris might well have pulled out the first set of their quarterfinal Wednesday, he didn’t.

In the end, it was a straight-sets victory for Zverev, who still has lost just one set in the tournament.

He is looking dominant. But he hasn’t yet faced Djokovic.

Djokovic vs Zverev Match History

Zverev will have to reverse an 0-2 record against Djokovic in the best-of-five Grand Slam format. Few are able to manage that.

Djokovic Dominant in Best-of-Five

When it’s best-of-three sets, Zverev tends to excel. His first meeting with Djokovic was at age 19, in the final of the Masters 1000 in Rome. And he won it.

Over the long haul, doubts can creep with his serve. His second serve can get short, or the double faults can begin.

Against the best returner on the planet, the German feels unrelenting pressure on that stroke.

And against the best defender on the planet, over the long haul, he can run out of ideas, of ways to try to get through Djokovic.

Their quarterfinal match in Australia in February was close; it could easily have gone to a fifth set.

It didn’t. But it was testy enough.

And with their Olympic semifinal fresh in Djokovic’s mind – the end of his gold medal and Golden Slam quest – Djokovic is even more motivated.

He hasn’t been playing … great. Well enough to win. For this semifinal, he’ll have to raise his level.

Picking Zverev to win the first set, even if he ultimately loses the match, checks in at +390 and might be worth a shot.

Best Bet: Djokovic in Five Sets (+370)