Novak Djokovic will be looking to win a 19th Grand Slam title when he takes on Stefanos Tsitsipas in the French Open final on Sunday, with his opponent having reached a showpiece for the very first time.
World number one Djokovic felt he produced one of the best performances of his career when defeating defending champion Rafael Nadal in what was a memorable semi-final on Friday and he will now be looking to win his second title in Paris.
Standing in the 34-year-old’s way will be Greek fifth seed Tsitsipas, who also had to dig deep to claim a five-set victory over Alexander Zverev in the last four, as he secured his maiden Grand Slam final appearance.
Djokovic’s Know-How Could Prove Key
Not only will Djokovic be aiming to win a 19th Grand Slam title on Sunday, but he will also be contesting his 29th final in one of the big four events, while it will also be his sixth appearance in the French Open showpiece.
In contrast, Tsitsipas is through to his first Grand Slam final, although the 22-year-old does appear to be trending in the right direction, as he has reached at least the semi-final stage at his last three major events.
However, the Greek star may have to wait a little longer before he tastes victory in a Grand Slam final, as Djokovic has won five of the previous seven meetings between the two players, including a five-set triumph in the semi-finals at Roland Garros last year.
Djokovic also won the most recent meeting between the pair at last month’s Rome Masters and he is priced at 4/13 to secure another victory on Sunday, while Tsitsipas is available at 13/5 to spring what would be considered a major surprise.
Epic Final on the Cards
While Djokovic may be the firm favourite to triumph in Paris, it is unlikely to be a straightforward victory for the 2016 champion, with his two most recent meetings with Tsitsipas having gone the distance.
It was a five-set thriller when they met at Roland Garros last October, with Djokovic surviving a spirited comeback from Tsitsipas to prevail 6-3 6-2 5-7 4-6 6-1.
It was a similar story on the clay in Rome last month, although it was again Djokovic that edged through 7-5 in the deciding set.
Given both players were involved in long semi-final matches as well, it would be no surprise to see this one go the distance, with Djokovic perhaps looking good value at 15/4 to triumph 3-2.
Long-Haul Contest Expected
There was a total of 46 games played when these two met at the 2020 French Open and they have both been involved in long-haul matches at this year’s tournament as well.
Djokovic needed 39 games to see off Nadal in the semi-finals – and that was in just a four-set match – while the top seed had contested 43 games with Lorenzo Musetti in the fourth round before the Italian teenager was forced to retire due to injury.
Tsitsipas needed even more games than that to overcome Zverev, as he eventually won their semi-final clash in their 47th game, while the two finalists have also been involved in a combined seven tie-breaks during the tournament.
This all suggests that there could be plenty of games contested during Sunday’s final, with over 39.5 in the match being available at 11/10.
*All odds correct at time of writing
