2020 French Open Men’s Final – Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal on and what time does it start? Sunday 11th October, 2020 – not before 14:00 (UK)
Where is Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal taking place? Stade Roland Garros, Paris
What surface is Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal being played on? Clay
Where can I get tickets for Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal? A reduced number of spectators can attend one of the three main courts and tickets can be found here
What channel is Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal on? Both ITV and Eurosport will be showing live coverage of the French Open so it is worth checking their schedules
Where can I stream Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal? ITV Hub, Eurosport Player & Amazon Prime Video
THE PREDICTION
The most-played fixture in men’s tennis since the open era returns for a 56th edition as world number one Novak Djokovic meets Rafael Nadal in the final of a Grand Slam for the first time since the Australian Open 2019. Their head-to-head record is balanced on a knife-edge at 29-26 to Djokovic, following as a rule a win-by-surface system that sees the Serb win the vast majority of hard matches and the Spaniard the lion’s share of the clay. However, this is not just any clay-court match. This is Rafael Nadal’s spiritual home, where he has won 12 out of 12 finals played. This will be his 13th final at Roland-Garros and so far he has not dropped a set in a total of 13 hours and 13 minutes on court. Just saying.
So will number 13 be lucky or unlucky? Given the test Nadal faced from an inspired Diego Schwartzman, including an opening service game that took him 15 minutes to secure, he looks to be in his usual scintillating form. Djokovic has had a tougher time of it in his two most recent matches with a four-set victory over Pablo Carreno Busta where he exhibited some fitness issues, now apparently resolved, and then a five-set thriller with Stefanos Tsitsipas that took over four hours to complete. The world number one will certainly give Nadal a run for his money, but it would be madness to go against the Spaniard at Roland-Garros at any given juncture. In Nadal’s two previous French Open wins over Djokovic the Serb managed to steal a set, but even that seems like a clutch at straws in the markets here. It may be uninspired to call a Nadal victory by straight, or perhaps four-sets, here but inspiration will play out on court between two legends of the sport this Sunday.
