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The 2015 Roland Garros final is finally upon us, after two long, and exciting weeks of tennis, the top seed and world #1 Novak Djokovic will face off with Swiss #8 seed Stan Wawrinka, as Djokovic vies for his first French Open title, and Wawrinka vies for his second Grand Slam, along with his first French Open title, his previous triumph coming at the 2014 Australian Open, where he defeated Novak en route to the championship.
Panelists Predictions for Djokovic vs. Wawrinka 2015 Roland Garros Men’s Final
Djokovic is the heavy favorite, as he comes off of a 5 set win over the in-form Andy Murray, and prior to that he dominated the king of clay Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals. Wawrinka has a pair of quality wins over Roger Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga though and he should be slightly fresher. Wawrinka has only won twice against Djokovic, while Djokovic has won 19 times, that said their last four grand slam meetings, dating back to Aussie Open 2013 have gone the distance, with Djokovic holding a 3-1 advantage in those battles. Thus Novak is the favorite, but we could be looking at a classic grand slam final. Here is what our diverse panel has to say.
Steen Kirby (LWOS Tennis Editor):
As I mentioned above, the slam meetings between these two warriors of the sport have been something else since 2013, as they both bring high caliber, firepower rich tennis to the court when they meet. Both are in excellent form, and peak Wawrinka with his spinning one handed backhand, combined with a clicking forehand, can be extremely dangerous to the agile and flexible returner Djokovic. That said, Djokovic has seemed to have a mental edge late in their matches, and that should prove the difference, as he showed against Murray on Saturday as well. I don’t expect this to be routine at all, as an extra days rest and a chance at a second slam out of the blue should inspire Wawrinka, but Djokovic has fire in his belly, along with the fire coming from his racquet, and I’m predicting a five set battle, with Djokovic winning by a double break in the 5th set. Djokovic in 5 sets 4-6 6-4 6-7 7-5 6-2
Niall Clarke (LWOS Contributor):
Before the Murray semi-final, Novak Djokovic had looked perfect at this year’s French Open. The world number one had stormed to the semi-final without dropping a set, including a drubbing of nine time champion Rafael Nadal. That said, he was pushed by a plucky Murray over the two days, and Djokovic really needed to raise his level in the final set to overcome the Brit.
Wawrinka had only dropped the one set to Dusan Lajovic on his path to the last four. Stan put on an incredible performance against compatriot Roger Federer in the quarter finals, seemingly channeling the form that won him the Australian Open last year. Against Jo Wilfried Tsonga in the semi-finals however, he went flat after a set and a half. Wawrinka had to save 16 break points, but his mental resolve saw the Swiss through in 4 sets. Djokovic and Wawrinka have a habit of going the distance when they meet in grand slams with their past four all being five set epics. Djokovic overcame Wawrinka in three of them, with Stan’s victory coming in the quarter finals of the Australian Open last year.
The extra days rest for Wawrinka will be an advantage for the Swiss, and he will need all the luck he can get against the seemingly unbeatable world number one. Stan will need to hit his peak level if he is to win this, and hope the pressure of a career grand slam will get to his opponent. Djokovic has the chance of achieving the rare feat of a career grand slam, and his overall record against Wawrinka makes for good reading. Djokovic is on a mission to finally get the Roland Garros monkey off his back, and it seems he won’t ever get a better chance than this. My head says Djokovic all the way, but there is a little feeling that Stan might just pull the upset. Wawrinka is playing well, and loves the clay. In his first grand slam final he played excellent tennis until the injury, so he can definitely rise to the occasion. But Djokovic just seems like he won’t be denied a career grand slam, so I will predict a close one with Djokovic prevailing. Djokovic in 5 sets
Stefano Berlincioni (LWOS Contributor):
Stan Wawrinka beat Novak Djokovic just once during a Slam (AO 2014) and that time he won that Slam. I don’t see history repeating itself here at Roland Garros. Djokovic is really dominant this year and he will have a pretty high chance to win all Grand Slam titles in 2015. Wawrinka found here in Paris a great form almost from nowhere and surely he has nothing to lose as the Serbian is the heavy favourite. Novak knows how to manage the pressure and passed a very tough test in his Semifinal: I think the final will be easier for him. Djokovic in 4 sets
John Lupo (Freelance Journalist):
The top-ranked player in the world followed up his historic win over Rafa Nadal by outlasting Andy Murray in a 5 set semifinal over 2 days. The Serbia is attempting to be the first player to complete the career Grand Slam since Roger Federer did it in Paris in 2009, the other year of a Nadal defeat. Wawrinka is coming off of an equally impressive 4 hour semifinal win over Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga after defeating countryman Roger Federer the previous round. This is the Swiss’ 2nd Grand Slam final after capturing the 2014 Australian Open. These two have played 4 straight 5 set matches and I don’t think this is any different. In what may be the only opportunity for either man to triumph in Paris, I like Wawrinka to repeat his memorable 2014 upset of Djokovic. Prediction: Wawrinka in a classic 5-setter
Arthur Thompson (Freelance Journalist):
Djokovic leads the H2H 17-3 (with a 4-1 advantage on clay included), but the matchup isn’t as lopsided as the H2H indicates. They played four straight GS matches that went the distance and Wawrinka was able to win one of those matches. Novak is playing amazingly solid in this tournament, so Stan’s best chance is trying to be really aggressive and dictate play from the baseline with his powerful strokes from both wings. I think he will be successful for a while, but Novak will be too strong for him in the end and likely will come back on top. Novak Djokovic in 4 sets 6-3 5-7 7-5 6-2
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