Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will square off for a record-equalling ninth time in a Grand Slam final on Sunday when they meet in the men’s showpiece at the French Open. Having never previously lost a final at Roland Garros, Nadal enters the clash with his old rival as the 20/31 favourite.
However, Djokovic has been the best player in the world this year and if anyone can storm the ‘King of Clay’s’ kingdom then it is the tenacious Serb, who offers some value at 13/10 to pick up the French Open title for the second time in his career.
Nadal Chasing French Open Century
It has been plain sailing for Nadal en route to a record-breaking 13th final in Paris, the defending champion having managed to avoid dropping a set so far for the sixth French Open of his career.
Diego Schwartzman was expected to give the second seed a test in the semi-final having beaten Nadal at the Rome Masters in September, but instead was brushed aside by the Spaniard as he brought up win number 99 at the French Open.
There is plenty of history at stake for Nadal on Sunday as he will equal Roger Federer’s all-time Grand Slam record of 20 should he retain the Coupe des Mousquetaires and he knows what it takes to beat Djokovic on this stage having defeated him in the final twice, while he’s won six of their seven meetings at the clay-court major.
However, despite not dropping a set yet, Nadal hasn’t always looked comfortable and questions of his defence have been asked. The unusual conditions for a French Open – which was switched from its normal date in May to October – have also unsettled Nadal, who has complained about the cold, and there looks to be chinks in his armour.
Battle-Hardened Djokovic Can Double Up
While Nadal has had a relatively easy route to the final, Djokovic has had to fight hard, surviving a scare in his semi-final against Stefanos Tsitsipas as the Greek took the world No.1 to five sets.
However, Djokovic eventually prevailed to stretch his winning run on clay to 11 matches and his record for 2020 now reads 37-1, with that sole loss coming via disqualification at the US Open.
The 33-year-old has looked untouchable at times this year and is now in a position to complete the unprecedented feat of winning every Grand Slam title twice.
He’s won 14 of the last 20 meetings with Nadal and has more victories against the Spaniard on clay that anyone else, beating him seven times on the red dirt, including the last time they met at the French Open in 2015.
Four the Magic Number
While it would seem illogical to go against a man who has only ever lost twice at the French Open, Djokovic looks primed to defeat his great rival on this occasion.
In their previous eight Grand Slam final encounters, only once has the match been settled in straight sets and it is unlikely Nadal will go down without a fight.
Djokovic to win 3-1 is available at 9/2 and those four sets could be long, drawn-out affairs.
Over 40.5 total games is available at 20/23 and makes sense in a high-quality clash between the two best players in men’s tennis right now given how evenly matched they’ve been in the past.
*All odds correct at time of writing
