Novak Djokovic vs Stefanos Tsitsipas Odds & Prediction – French Open Men’s Singles Finals
- Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas had gruelling semifinals on Friday, but Tsitsipas should be fresher
- The only man to beat Rafael Nadal twice in Paris, Djokovic is looking for his second French Open title
- The world No. 1 is the favorite; we find value, and break down whether Tsitsipas can pull off the upset
After the extraordinary marathon win over Rafael Nadal Friday night, Novak Djokovic will try to turn it around in less than 48 hours and take his second career French Open title.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, who played earlier Friday, will try to win his first career major title of any kind.
Novak Djokovic vs Stefanos Tsitsipas Odds
Player | Spread at DraftKings | Moneyline | Total |
---|---|---|---|
[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) | -4.5 (-132) | -315 | O 37.5 (-114) |
[5] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) | +4.5 (+105) | +240 | U 37.5 (-110) |
Odds as of June 12
Tsitsipas Trying to Make Greek history
It is Djokovic’s 29th Grand Slam final. It is Tsitsipas’s first at 22 – he’s more than 11 years younger than Djokovic.
He’s trying to become the first Greek player ever to win a Grand Slam title.
Stefanos Tsitsipas (22 years, 305 days) is the youngest Roland Garros men's singles finalist since Rafael Nadal (2008; 22 years, 5 days).#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/yqI0QUw7Sl
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 11, 2021
Tsitsipas is the youngest major finalist since Andy Murray made the Australian Open final in 2010. That tells you how hard it’s been for the young guys in the “Big 3” era. Because it hasn’t happened since … the current “old guys” were the young guys.
Tsitsipas has the most clay-court victories on tour this year (22-3). But he’s 1-8 in his career against players ranked No. 1. On the plus side, that one win came against Djokovic, in Shanghai in 2019.
Extraordinary Victory for Djokovic vs. Nadal
Djokovic said his four-hour, 11-minute, four-set victory over Nadal Friday was one he’ll remember forever.
“Definitely the best match that I was part of ever in Roland Garros for me, and top three matches that I ever played in my entire career,” Djokovic said.
The 34-year-old will have about 36 hours to turn it around and adjust to rather different conditions during an afternoon match.
It will be a little quicker, and the ball will bounce a little higher.
Djokovic vs Tsitsipas Head-to-Head
34 (May 22, 1987) | Age | 22 (Aug. 12, 1998) |
Belgrade, Serbia | Birthplace | Athens, Greece |
6-2 | Height | 6-4 |
83 | Career ATP Singles Titles | 7 |
18 | Career Grand Slam Titles | 0 |
No. 1 (July 4, 2011) | Career High Ranking | No. 5 (Aug. 5, 2019) |
No. 1 | Current Ranking | No. 5 |
$148,092,073 | Career Prize Money | $14,136,302 |
25-3 | 2021 Won/Loss record | 39-8 |
5 | 2021 Career Head-to-Head | 2 |
Tsitsipas Survives Five-Setter vs Zverev
After winning the first two sets against Alexander Zverev, Tsitsipas could have saved himself a lot of energy if he’d been able to close out his semifinal win in straight sets.
But his level dropped, and Zverev found inspiration in desperation. The German won the next two before form prevailed.
What. A. Day. 🙌
Follow Tsitsipas and Zverev through a semi-final Friday to remember. #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/STggjAf7Ud
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 12, 2021
Their five-setter took 34 fewer minutes than Nadal and Djokovic’s four-setter.
Djokovic Perfect vs Tsitsipas on Clay
Both of Tsitsipas’s career victories over Djokovic came on faster hard courts.
While the conditions for Sunday’s final (sunny, 25-26C) will make the clay as quick as it can be, it’s still clay.
The five-set win by Djokovic last fall in Paris came under radically different court and weather conditions, and Djokovic wasn’t playing his best.
The Serb should play better Sunday. But Tsitsipas now is a more confident player with more belief than he had last fall.
He will rise to a career-best No. 4, even if he loses. If Tsitsipas wins, he will bump Nadal down and move to No. 3.
Novak Djokovic vs Stefanos Tsitsipas Match History
Year | Tournament | Surface | Score | Winner |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Rome Masters (QF) | Outdoor Clay | 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 | Djokovic |
2020 | Roland Garros (SF) | Outdoor Clay | 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1 | Djokovic |
2020 | Dubai (F) | Outdoor Hard | 6-3, 6-4 | Djokovic |
2019 | Masters Paris (QF) | Indoor Hard | 6-1, 6-2 | Djokovic |
2019 | Masters Shanghai (QF) | Outdoor Hard | 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 | Tsitsipas |
2019 | Masters Madrid (F) | Outdoor Clay | 6-3, 6-4 | Djokovic |
2018 | Masters Canada (R16) | Outdoor Hard | 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3 | Tsitsipas |
If Djokovic doesn’t answer the bell physically, Tsitsipas has every chance to win it.
But the Serb doesn’t plan to play again until Wimbledon, so he’ll leave it all out there in a rare recent opportunity to win the French (and his 19th major).
🇬🇷Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Novak Djokovic🇷🇸
It all comes down to this. #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/Mm1ijaynFj
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 11, 2021
Few expect this to go straight sets either way. But if it does go the distance, you’d expect Tsitsipas’s youth and fresher physical state to prevail. That makes those odds (+850) rather tempting. But there’s no way to really know that before the match.
The outcome will likely be somewhere in between.
Take Tsitsipas to win the first set (+175) as his 34-year-old opponent hasn’t been the quickest starter, and might need some time to fully loosen up.
And it won’t be short. Take the over 41.5 total games at +155.
Best Bet: Novak Djokovic in four sets (+295)