Novak Djokovic vs Diego Schwartzman Tennis Betting Predictions – ATP Finals 2020
Can the debutant claim number one?
Competition: Novak Djokovic vs Diego Schwartzman
Competition: ATP Finals 2020
Date: 16.11.2020
Betting Tips Djokovic -4.5 games
Odds: 1.65
Stake: 6/10 units
There is no simple draw at the ATP Finals, after all, the eight best players of the year face each other. For a week, tennis at the highest level is offered in the O2 Arena in London.
With Andrey Rublev from Russia and Diego Schwartzman, two debutants will be at the start in London. The task couldn’t be more difficult for both newcomers. Rublev opens on Sunday against Rafael Nadal, before the duel between Novak Djokovic and Diego Schwartzman is on the program on Monday.
At the 500 tournaments in the Wiener Stadthalle, the “Djoker” already stated that he would end the year as number one and then focused on the finals in London. With a title win, he could catch up with record winner Roger Federer.
Among the experts, the number one in the world is also a big favourite to win the title. Accordingly, an opening defeat against the debutant from South America would be a big surprise.
This year, however, the 20,000-seat arena will remain almost completely empty and the breathtaking atmosphere will be missing. Instead of linesmen, the technology is brought to the fore, because the Hawk-Eye decides whether a ball was “in” or “out”.
Novak Djokovic – Statistics & current form
For the first time, the Djoker prevailed at the ATP Finals in 2008, after which he was crowned winner four times in a row from 2012 to 2015, but for five years he has been waiting for the sixth triumph. Should he succeed in this, he would draw level with record winner Roger Federer. Djokovic has already determined through his tournament in the Wiener Stadthalle that he will be number one in the tennis world again at the end of the year.
Clear defeat against no-name Sonego
For Novak Djokovic, fixing this position was also the main reason why he could be seen in the Wiener Stadthalle for the first time this year. At the 500 tournaments, after winning against compatriot Filip Krajinovic and Croatian Borna Coric, it was clear that Rafael Nadal could no longer overtake him.
With this, the Djoker had achieved his great goal and saw his mission in Vienna completed. In the quarter-finals against the Italian lucky loser Lorenzo Sonego, the Serb delivered one of the weakest performances in his career. The top favourite was able to book just three games and slipped into a 2: 6 and 1: 6 debacle. A disappointing performance, which was not particularly well received by the tournament officials.
Djokovic plays without any pressure
The lack of pressure in this game was by no means an advantage for Djokovic, otherwise, such an appearance cannot be explained. By fixing his position as leader, he skipped the Master’s tournament in Paris-Bercy in order to prepare for the finals.
He sees it as a great advantage that he can contest the final tournament without any pressure since he has already achieved his season goal. In contrast to the Vienna match, he will not lack motivation and his declared goal is to win the title. After two weeks of preparation, the Djoker will present a completely different face and accordingly, the prediction of a clear favourite victory between Djokovic and Schwartzman should be the right choice.
Diego Schwartzman – Statistics & Current Form
The year 2020 is definitely not a horror year for the 28-year-old Argentine, because the likeable gaucho is delivering the best season of his career. He has been a top ten player for a few weeks and is ninth in the current men’s world rankings. Due to the fact that Federer ended his season early, the ninth-place was sufficient for the finals.
Clay court specialist with a big fighter heart
Similar to Rafael Nadal, Diego Schwartzman would have no objection if the final tournament was held on the red ashes. As a South American, it is almost obvious that he feels very comfortable on the sand. The red ash suited his physical conditions because the gaucho is just 1.70 meters tall. As a result, the service is by no means a weapon, because it lacks a few centimetres to get enough pressure on the ball.
But he makes up for this disadvantage with an immensely big fighter’s heart. Schwartzman is a player who has excellent footwork and can run into almost any ball. In addition, he is considered one of the best return players on the tour and thus, as a rule, extremely hard-fought games result. With victories against Rafael Nadal in Rome and Dominic Thiem at the French Open, he earned great respect on the tour and is now one of the absolute world-class.
Mixed results on the indoor hard court
Despite his footwork, the indoor hard courts are not exactly made for his game. He falls behind relatively quickly against players who can generate a lot of pressure. This was also clearly visible in the last two indoor hard court tournaments when he suffered a clear slap in the final in Cologne (only three games against Zverev) as in the quarter-finals in Paris (only four games against Medvedev).
The difficult external conditions for the gaucho and also a certain nervousness during his first appearance mean that Novak Djokovic and Diego Schwartzman advise against a prediction in the direction of the Argentine. Even winning a set against the “Djoker” would be a big surprise.
Novak Djokovic vs Diego Schwartzman – Direct comparison / H2H balance
Head-to-head: 5-0
The direct comparison between the five-time Tour Finals winner Novak Djokovic and the debutant from Argentina is more than clear. So far, the players have faced each other five times and the world number leader from Serbia has won all games. In the two previous hardcourt games (US Open 2014 and Australian Open 2020), Schwartzman, who was fighting self-sacrificingly, missed a set win.
The last time the two players faced each other in the final of the ATP Masters in Rome. On the clay court, the little Argentine’s favourite surface, Djokovic had no problems and won through in two sets.
Novak Djokovic vs Diego Schwartzman Betting Predictions and Odds by PicksSoccer Experts
In the last three years, there have been surprising winners at the ATP Finals who are not named Federer, Nadal or Djokovic. The five-time finals winner Novak Djokovic is the clear favourite despite his last performance against Sonego.
With his experience, the knowledge of five victories in London and the fixed number one position, the Serb can play completely free. The best bookmakers expect clear success against the Argentine debutant and only offer odds between Djokovic and Schwartzman for a corresponding prediction under 1.20 for the Serb.
Key facts – Novak Djokovic vs Diego Schwartzman tips
🎾 Djokovic won the tournament five times at the finals (most recently in 2015)
🎾 Djokovic won all five previous games – at the end of September in the Rome final on clay
🎾 The 28-year-old gaucho is making his debut at the ATP Finals
Schwartzman will throw everything into the balance from the first to the last rally to tackle the seemingly impossible task. The respect for the short South American has risen sharply recently, but on the extremely fast indoor hard court, there is an extremely unequal starting situation against the Djoker.
The Argentine will have immense problems with the pressure of the Serbs and despite his irrepressible will, he will have to bend significantly. Instead of alluding to the odds on a tip for 2-0 at the start between Djokovic and Schwartzman, the bet on the game handicap -4.5 appears to be far more lucrative.
