In what has the potentially to be one of the most thrilling matches of the tournament, the world number one and 17-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic will have a chance to add to his list when he takes on a maiden major-seeker and the in-form Russian Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Australian Open 2021.
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Here’s our top three betting tips from this Djokovic-Medvedev encounter which begins at 7.30 pm local time on Sunday, February 21.
Before we get down to our tips for this encounter, our overall view about it is we don’t expect it to get any easy for either player, we expect both players to fight tooth and nail and come back from positions and situations where the other looks to be a favourite. That being said, here goes:
1. Five Sets in the Match (12/5 with bet365*)
Djokovic has rarely lost a Grand Slam final in recent times. Other than that defeat at the hands of Rafael Nadal at the French Open final last season, he had registered five wins in a row in title-deciders of Grand Slam tournaments.
And with eight Australian Open title wins and as the world’s best-ranked player in the world, you would expect him to start off as an overwhelming favourite against a player outside the Big Three.
But he is not. Depending on which bookmaker you look at, Djokovic and Medvedev are both equal favourites (5/6 for Djokovic and 1/1 for Medvedev with bet365), which is an indicator of what the experts are thinking – Medvedev has done enough in this tournament and before that to afford him equal respect coming into this encounter.
Add to that, both players are sticky customers. Neither gives up too easily, both push on from difficult positions.
Djokovic also had a stomach muscle injury which he seems to have recovered from while Medvedev has been steamrolling his opponents without a worry in the world (the other top Serb in the draw, Filip Krajinovic tested him out in a five-setter though).
All of this is pointing out to a fighting and fluctuating match that will go to five sets. If you want to go for a less risky punt, you can opt to divide you bet between four and five sets in the match and gain something out of either result.
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2. Djokovic to Win AND Both Players to Win a Set (7/4 with bet365*)
Which brings us to the second bet of the final and we believe it’s the experience of Djokovic which will finally take him through.
He has eight Australian Open titles to his credit, he has proven to be unbeatable for most – that Nadal win at the French Open final has been one of the rare exception in recent times – and the Serb is raring to break Federer and Nadal’s tally of Grand Slams.
Djokovic has already seen two of his chances getting taken away for different reasons. At the US Open he was defaulted from the tournament, while at the French Open he actually went into the final as a favourite but came up against a stunning display of tennis from Nadal that only the Spaniard could dish out and on clay.
So while Medvedev will be hungry and in-form to win his maiden major here, Djokovic will be that much hungrier.
Not to mention, we reckon the two players will trade blows on a regular basis with neither player really gaining major advantage given the Medvedev form – defeating Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets counts for something now, doesn’t it?
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3. First Set Winner – Medvedev (5/6 with bet365*)
While Djokovic is our slight favourite to edge the contest, we believe Medvedev will make it very difficult for him. He will draw from his straight-set win in their last meeting at the ATP Finals last season, to trouble Djokovic early before the Serb settles into the contest.
Both players are 5/6 to win the opening set, which makes it bit of a coin toss for this one but Medvedev could shade the world number one here before Djokovic comes roaring back into the contest.
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