Tennis
2021-11-20 - Novak Djokovic vs Alexander Zverev
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
Tennis : ATP Finals Semi Final
Saturday 20th November 2021 - Scheduled 9pm
8pm (British Time)
Preview
You can't win the ATP Finals by dominating your Group, but you can certainly lay down a marker about your ambitions in those early matches. There is no doubt that Novak Djokovic has looked the strongest player by some distance in Turin and his numbers have been very, very impressive as he has won all three Group matches heading into the Semi Final.
It is no surprise that the layers are thinking Novak Djokovic is going to blow past another opponent when he takes on Alexander Zverev in this Semi Final, but this has proven to be a tough match up for the World Number 1. The point is underlined by the fact that Alexander Zverev beat Novak Djokovic in Tokyo and their match at the US Open also needed all five sets to separate them.
Four tough sets were needed at the Australian Open, which is Novak Djokovic's favourite Grand Slam, and the numbers actually back up how well Alexander Zverev has matched up with this opponent.
The big question for Alexander Zverev is whether he can serve well enough to push Novak Djokovic all the way in this one and perhaps even earn the upset. For the most part, his serve has been very effective in the conditions in Turin and it has resulted in the German being broken just once so far at the tournament.
Of course, Zverev has not really faced too many returners with the capabilities of Novak Djokovic who has had his eye firmly in while dominating his matches here. It can be pointed out that Novak Djokovic was in a relatively weak Group and now he has to really step up his level to compete with someone like Alexander Zverev.
The return has proven to make the slight difference in favour of Novak Djokovic more often than not against this opponent, but matches have rarely been straight-forward. I would not be surprised if the two players split the first two sets played and have to get through a decider to earn their spot in the Final and that is why I will look for the players to surpass the total games line.
Their last four matches have all seen both players win a set and all of those have been on the hard courts. Only the match in Tokyo resulted in some easy sets being won by the two players, but in general Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev have pushed each other into long matches and looks like being the outcome of this one too.
Prediction
Look for the two players to help combine to surpass the total games line.
The Pick :
Novak Djokovic 2-1 Alexander Zverev
FIXED ODDS BETTING TIP :
I'll back Over 22.5 Total Games at 1.90 with BetVictor
