Roland Garros: Novak Djokovic vs. Casper Ruud Preview, Odds, Predictions

In order to claim the title of the all-time GOAT, Novak Djokovic has to win his match against Casper Ruud at the Roland Garros this Sunday afternoon. Djokovic currently sits at 22 Grand Slams, and with this trophy, he is breaking the tie with Rafael Nadal. Meanwhile, Ruud has made it to the finals in Paris for the second year in a row, and he poses a challenge to Novak’s intentions of getting that one Grand Slam he desperately needs.

Preview

Djokovic (-500) swept Carlos Alcaraz in the semis, winning in four sets and breaking the rival in the last two, once he lost only two games combined. Novak’s speed and experience in matches like this have played a massive role in using Alcaraz’s game plan against him. Alcaraz’s strategy of defeating Djokovic forcefully backfired in the cruelest possible way. 

Djokovic had a far tougher road to the finals than Ruud did, having to get by Fuscovics, Davidovich Fokina, Khachanov, and Alcaraz. Though the Serb was slowly improving his game, not looking particularly confident and constantly moving the focus of the media from his game to some other issues. 

The most obvious is his conflict with the crowd. Novak loves that, and the people still didn’t figure out that the Serb absorbs all that energy from the stands and later on uses it on the field. 

After beating Alexander Zverev in the semifinals, Casper Ruud (+350) has another shot at the title at Roland Garros. His match on Friday was pretty relaxed and the Norwegian cruised past into the finals after three sets, schooling the German with 6-3, 6-4, 6-0.

Before Zverev, Ruud defeated Ymer, Zeppieri, Zhand, Jarry, and Holger Rune. Apart from the semis, he didn’t dominate in any of the contests, often dropping a set or going through tough times to win one. However, he too, improved his form as the tournament went by. 

Ruud tends to make a lot of unforced errors, and his winner/error ratio is slightly above 1, which has to be much better in order to win against Novak. Ruud’s forehand is powerful, and he needs to use it as much as possible against Novak, while on the other hand, he needs to have his movement at the highest possible level to beat the Serb. 

Head to Head 

Novak Djokovic has defeated Ruud four times in their previous meetings. Two were on clay at the ATP Masters in Rome, and Novak didn’t lose a single set in those meetings. One was in 2020, and the other in 2022. 

Prediction

Novak is chasing history, and we strongly believe that the Serbian is motivated and sharp, just like he was 15 years ago in Australia before his first Grand Slam victory. This match means everything for the Joker, and with all due respect for Ruud, we believe he has no chance to win here. Novak is too powerful anyway, plus the current circumstances will only increase his desire and he will play like there is no tomorrow. 

Pick: Novak Djokovic wins his 23rd Grand Slam title -500

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