After a thrilling fortnight of tennis, featuring some of the best clay-court tennis one could hope to see, just two men remain in contention at the French Open. One is aiming for his 19th Major title and an unprecedented double Career Grand Slam, the other will be playing in his first Grand Slam final. Both will be desperate to get their hands of the title. But who will come out on top? Our panel offer their insights:
French Open Men’s Final Prediction
Novak Djokovic vs Stefanos Tsitsipas
Jim: If Novak Djokovic is able to replicate the level of tennis he displayed in beating Rafael Nadal in the semifinals, the title is his. Unfortunately, that is far easier said than done. Make no mistake, dethroning the King of Clay will have required a mighty effort from the Serbian. Fortunately, Stefanos Tsitsipas has no experience of these grandest of occasions and looked very nervous in his semifinal victory over Alexander Zverev. Djokovic may not have things all his own way, but he should have the edge.
Prediction: Djokovic in 4
Steen: Tsitsipas has scored wins against Djokovic, but never on the clay, and Djokovic should be riding high after he ousted his great rival Nadal on a surface that Nadal is historically nearly unbeatable on. Tsitsipas had a relative glide path to the final except for a hard fought win against Alexander Zverev in the semifinals.
Djokovic was relatively lucky to escape with a pair of wins against Italian opponents, Lorenzo Musetti and Matteo Berrettini, before the Nadal upset. Tsitsipas will be in with a chance, but it’s still hard to see Djokovic lose as he continues to chase the greatest of all time moniker and aims to finish his career with the most Grand Slam victories.
Prediction: Djokovic in 4
Yesh: It’s always difficult to follow up an all-time epic victory with another, but that’s what Djokovic has to do. Tsitsipas has the game and defensive skills to trouble the world #1, that’s for sure. Then again, there’s nothing that Tsitsipas does on a clay court that Nadal doesn’t do better. After what Djokovic just did to Nadal, it’s hard to imagine him not doing the same to the Greek. Tsitsipas has a chance, but he would need to play the best tennis of his life to win–and get a little help from Djokovic playing poorly in the process.
Prediction: Djokovic in 3
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