And then there were two. Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are the last men standing in the Australian Open. Both have battled through tough challengers to reach the final, in which the first Grand Slam title of the year will be contested. Djokovic bested the ever-reliable Roger Federer in four sets to reach the final, while Murray fought tooth and nail in a five-set thriller against surging contender Milos Raonic.
It’s going to be one hell of a match between the top two tennis players in the world. Thankfully, we have the services of some of the best tennis experts to tell us how this blockbuster matchup would play out. Read on as the experts sound off on their picks.
Get the full experience of the Australian Open. Check out our complete preview for the Men’s Singles final between Djokovic and Murray. You can also check out the Women’s Singles Final, Serena Williams vs. Angelique Kerber.
Merlissa Lawrence Corbett notes that world No. 1 Novak Djokovic has seemingly pushed aside his bad performances in the Australian Open, beating Roger Federer 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 with relative ease in the semifinal. He also beat Kei Nishikori in straight sets in the quarterfinal.
Meanwhile, Andy Murray had played some clinical tennis, cruising on the way to the semifinals where he had his first big test. Murray defeated surging Canadian player Milos Raonic in five sets. The match should serve as a wakeup call for the Scott, who faces his bane, Djokovic.
Corbett notes that Djokovic has been very impressive in this head-to-head matchup. He’s 21-9 in 30 matches against Murray, including 10-1 over the past 11 matches. If Djoker can bring about the performance he had against Federer, and not his 100 unforced errors performance against Gilles Simon, then he stands a great chance at victory.
For Corbett, there’s no stopping Djokovic from winning his 11th Grand Slam title in straight sets.
Sports Chat Place
Expert
Prediction
Randy Chambers
Djokovic
Sports Chat Place’s Randy Chambers has followed the Australian Open closely. He notes that Novak Djokovic played his best tennis in the semifinal match against Roger Federer. Djokovic was simply too much for the aging all-time great, solidifying his title as the best tennis player in the world. Still, Djokovic has his holes. He committed 128 unforced errors in his last three matches.
Chambers notes that Federer was the only one in the Men’s Singles draw who could beat Djokovic. But he was destroyed with relative ease. Expect Djokovic play some brilliant tennis against a player he’s dominated for most of his career.
TopBet
Expert
Prediction
TopBet
Djokovic in four sets
TopBet also has a firm belief that Novak Djokovic is one of the best if not the best tennis player in the world. He has now reached his sixth ever Australian Open final, where he’s a perfect 5-0 in his previous appearances. Djoker has met Andy Murray in three of those finals, winning all of those matches (2011, 2013 and 2015).
Djokovic will have much fresher legs heading into the final. He dispatched Roger Federer with relative ease in the semifinal. In contrast, Murray played a five-set marathon against a young hot shot, Milos Raonic.
Murray has played Djokovic pretty close in their encounters in Melbourne. Their three Australian Open meetings have gone at least four sets, while four of their last eight sets have gone to a tie break. Murray could definitely win a set or two against the world No. 1. But it’s too difficult to see him win given Djokovic has too many tools in his favor. Djokovic wins in four sets.
Armed with these experts picks, it’s time to create a betting account and cash in on the blockbuster matchup in the Australian Open finals.
