tennis | Saturday, June 10, 2023 10:18 AM (Revised at: Saturday, June 10, 2023 10:26 AM)

Sunday Tennis Best Bet: ATP French Open, Novak Djokovic vs Casper Ruud

Jon Reid

Novak Djokovic vs Casper Ruud Best Bet: Sunday, June 11th

It all comes down to Sunday afternoon in Paris for Novak Djokovic. After years of amassing records, the one he’s been chasing most for his career is within reach, as he vies for his 23rd career title at one of the sport’s four major events.

It would give him sole possession of the first place in that department and put him front and centre in the never-ending greatest of all-time debate (though I believe he’s already accomplished that).

Casper Ruud is looking for his first title at a grand slam event and is in his third final. He’s no easy task, especially on clay. Let’s delve into the Roland Garros men’s final!

In this article:

Novak Djokovic vs Casper Ruud Preview
Novak Djokovic vs Casper Ruud Best Bet

Novak Djokovic vs Casper Ruud Preview

June 11th, 14:00 (UK Time)

All credit to Ruud. Despite being consistently ranked inside the top-5 or top-10 in the world, and reaching the final of three of the last five major events, the 24-year-old is almost never mentioned in conversations about the best tennis players in the world.

It’s likely because outside of his forehand (and only on clay), the Norwegian No. 1 doesn’t really have a whole lot to his game that helps him dominate. That’s a big issue when it comes to playing guys like Djokovic or Nadal (the man that beat him in the 2022 final in Paris).

It takes serious weapons, as well as mental fortitude and stamina to beat those guys anywhere, let alone in best-of-five set matches.

Much like Djokovic, Ruud wasn’t playing his best entering Roland Garros but has stepped up as the fortnight has gone on.

The difference between these two though is too large for me. It’s not a question of who should be the favourite, but more about how large of a favourite Djokovic should be.

Novak Djokovic vs Casper Ruud Best Bet

This matchup seems a lot like the final we saw last year, where the final never really appeared to be competitive. Nadal and Djokovic aren’t necessarily the same player stylistically, but they’re both dominant and extremely hard to beat.

I have this handicap on the other side of six games at -6.5. The fact the market has this below the six-game mark means I’m seeing a decent amount of value in backing Djokovic.

Ruud’s serve has held up surprisingly well the last few rounds, but he saw the absolute worst iterations of both Alexander Zverev and Holger Rune. This is a major step up in competition and he’s now taking on one of the all-time greats with one of the best return games in the history of the sport.

I’ll gladly back Djokovic to get this done in a rather straightforward fashion.