Djokovic vs Nadal Australian Open Men’s Final Preview
The 2019 Australian Open men’s single final will be contested between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. This is a mouth-watering match-up and one tennis fans all over the world will be looking forward to watching.
The match will take place on Sunday 27th January at Melbourne Park and is sure to be a fantastic occasion. This will be the second time the pair have met in the final of the Australian Open having done so previously in 2012.
History
That match produced a five set thriller, which Djokovic went on to win 7-5 in the final set. It was arguably the best Australian Open final of the past decade and it would be great to see this one go all the way. William Hill offer 7/4 for the match to go to five sets.
This match will be the 52nd time the players have met in their illustrious careers and the eight time their have met in a Grand Slam final. Djokovic has the overall lead with 27 victories to Nadal’s 25 but it is the Spaniard who leads the way in the Grand Slams, with 4 wins to Djokovic’s 3 victories.
Nadal’s Fitness
So, which player has the advantage going into the match? Djokovic looked very impressive in the semi-final but Nadal comes into the show-piece occasion having yet to drop a set in the tournament. Djokovic dropped sets against Daniil Medvedev and Denis Shapovalov while Nadal has put to bed any doubts over his fitness by looking stronger as the two weeks have developed.
Both players have great experience when it comes to winning Grand Slam tournaments so there is nothing much to be gained for either player in that department.
Overall, Nadal has looked the better player throughout the 2019 Australian Open but it will be interesting to see how he copes if he drops his first set of the tournament. Nonetheless, you can back Nadal to win at 23/20 with William Hill, while Djokovic remains the bookies favourite at 8/11 with Ladbrokes.
Djokovic Has the Upper Hand
A look back at previous encounters between the players shows Djokovic has the better of things when it comes to hard court tennis. He also has a tremendous record at the Australian Open, winning the event 7 times in comparison to just the one success for Nadal.
You must go back to 2009 to find the last time Nadal won the Australian Open and he has lost three finals since then. During the same period, Djokovic has won the tournament five times and if he can get ahead by taking the first set, it will be extremely tough for Nadal to get back into the match.
You can back Djokovic to win the match in four sets at 10/3 with Ladbrokes.