Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic is one win away from tying legendary peers. These include Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in terms of Grand Slam titles won. He will have to hurdle first-time finalist Matteo Berrettini. Seeking history, he seeks to become the first Italian to win a major title in 45 years. The clash will take place on Sunday at the All England Club. Djokovic will be playing his seventh Wimbledon final and 30th at the majors. The best online betting site for tennis action will feature the game live for the benefit of enthusiasts who want excitement and big money at the same time.
Djokovic Digs Deep to Beat Shapovalov
The 34-year-old Serbian seeks to tie the all-time men’s singles Grand Slam. These titles record set by Federer and Nadal at 20. He digs deep into his arsenal of moves to defeat Denis Shapovalov 7-6(7/3), 7-5, 7-5 to march to the final. It was a straight-set win for Djokovic. But, he needed to save 10 of 11 breakpoints in a semi-final. At this moment, he was outdueled for most parts of the first two sets. The victory was the Serbian’s seventh in as many matches against Shapovalov. His opponent showed no signs of nerves despite playing in his first Grand Slam semi-final.
Djokovic used his defense to ward off service brake attempts by the Canadian. This is particularly in the third game where he prevented four breakpoint tries from Shapovalov. He broke the left-hander again in the 11th game of the third set for a 6-5. Then, he served for the match in the next to secure the final seat. For Djokovic, it moved him closer to securing his 20th Grand Slam. Also, it is one win from taking his third major tennis title of the year.
Berrettini Bests Hurkacz to Make Italian History
Meanwhile, Matteo Berrettini outclassed Hubert Hurkacz in four sets 6-3 6-0 6-7 (3/7) 6-4 to become the first Italian to reach Wimbledon singles final. In a semi-final between next-generation tennis stars, Berrettini showed great poise early despite wasting three breakpoints. He went up 2-0 in the second set when he raced past Hurkacz in just 23 minutes. The Italian gained 11 straight games from the first set up to the third. Then, Hurkacz stopped the rot in the second game. The Polish netter then held on to win the set via tiebreaker to move a set closer.
However, the Italian broke Hurkacz’s serve in the fourth to move up 1-0. Berrettini had a chance to close the match in the ninth game but the Polish netter came up with a last-ditch stand to make it 4-5. The Italian finally ended the match with a successful 10th game while serving to gain his first-ever final and a meeting with Djokovic. Berrettini fired 22 aces and 60 winners against Hurkacz and he’ll be needing those against a solid all-around tennis player like Djokovic.
Head-to-Head
Djokovic and Berrettini met twice and the Serbian won both. The latest meeting was in the quarter-final of this year’s French Open with Djokovic winning by four sets. The 34-year-old 19-time Grand Slam winner is looking for his third-consecutive major tennis title of the year and 20th Grand Slam overall which would move him to a tie with fellow greats Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. On the other hand, Berrettini looks to become the second Italian tennis player to win a Grand Slam title and the first since 1976 when Adriano Panatta won the French Open. Both have an excellent 2021 win-loss record with Djokovic holding a 27-3 mark while Berrettini has a 26-6 record in the first half of the year.
Pick
Experts who bet on tennis overwhelmingly favor Djokovic to win the Wimbledon final against Berrettini. But his recent performance in the French Open final against Stefanos Tsitsipas – in which he barely won by coming back from two sets down – could give bettors a hint on what could possibly happen when an experienced and established star like Djokovic faces a young up-and-comer like Berrettini. Recently, the fans at the All England Club seemed to have a bias on the underdog especially when the Serbian faced Shapovalov in the semi-final. Shapovalov was cheered on by fans against Djokovic, who kept his poise and soldiered through a tough three-set showdown. It could be the same case in the final with Berrettini fighting for his first final appearance ever. The fans could become the added motivation for the Italian to beat the Serbian powerhouse and prevent him from tying the Grand Slam record.
