Novak Djokovic got tripped up in the semifinals of the last Grand Slam tourney he played, which was the 2019 French Open. Now, he’s set to play in another Grand Slam semis matchup, this time against the dangerous Roberto Bautista Agut, who wants to win three-straight matches against the 2018 Wimbledon men’s singles champion here in 2019. But while Bautista Agut has the best record against his opponent thus far this year, Djokovic has the all-time head to head lead with a 7-3 record. Going into the semifinal, the sportsbook favors the world No.1 with -1400 odds (opened at -1500) while Bautista Agut is priced at +750 (opened at +800). Read on for a preview of this grass court tussle below.
Betting Preview for the Wimbledon Men’s Singles Semifinals Match Featuring Novak Djokovic vs Roberto Bautista Agut on July 12, 2019
Where: All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, London, United Kingdom
When: Friday, July 12, 2019, 5:00 AM ET
Line: Novak Djokovic (-1400) vs Roberto Bautista Agut (+750)
TV Broadcast: ESPN, NBC Sports, TSN, Tennis Channel
Betting on Novak Djokovic (-1400)
With the form he’s showing in the tournament thus far, it’s hard to argue against anyone saying that the 2019 Wimbledon is for Djokovic to lose. Prior to his semifinals date with Bautista Agut, Djokovic defeated David Goffin with relative ease, 6-4, 6-0, 6-2. Djokovic will have to show up with his top form against Bautista Agut despite him being an overwhelming favorite. That means improving on the 59 percent of first serves he put in against Goffin, while also converting 76 percent of his first serves in. Djokovic carved out Goffin by converting seven of break-point chances, while allowing himself to be broken just once. Although Bautista Agut carries some measure of psychological advantage over Djokovic due to his back-to-back wins against the reigning Wimbledon men’s singles champion, it should be noted here that Djokovic is 3-0 against the Spaniard in Grand Slam matches. Djokovic has been to the semifinals at Wimbledon before and is 5-3 in those matches.
Betting on Roberto Bautista Agut (+750)
Bautista Agut is a much more dangerous player than what most people think. It’s easy to underestimate Bautista Agut, as he’s the last man standing at the men’s singles without a Grand Slam win, but he has the tools to make life hard for Djokovic in the semifinals. In his most recent match, Bautista Agut eliminated Guido Pella in the quarterfinals after securing a 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win. Bautista Agut put 66 percent of his first serves in and won 71 percent of his first-serve points. One thing about Bautista Agut is that he is an energizer bunny on the court. He’s always pushing the action and putting the pressure on his opponents, and if there’s one man who knows it well, it’s Djokovic. After all, Bautista Agut took down the Serbian in each of their last two meetings. Bautista Agut has never reached past the fourth round at Wimbledon until this year.
