Despite the British rain’s best effort to slow proceedings, Wimbledon is through to its third round this Saturday. The original draw of 128 men has now been slashed to just 32, with this being further reduced on day six of action in London.
Novak Djokovic and Alexei Popyrin will both be vying to make the round of 16 at SW16 as the pair clash on Centre Court this afternoon. They’ve already met this year in a competitive affair–can the young Aussie push Djokovic once more at a Grand Slam?
Djokovic vs Popyrin Odds
Before we dive into our analysis, here’s what tennis bookmakers are saying about Djokovic vs Popyrin ahead of their third-round clash:
- Novak Djokovic @ 1.12 | -800
- Alexei Popyrin @ 6.00 | +500
Bookmakers have Djokovic as a firm favorite to advance to the round of 16, with the Serbian paying 1.16 (-800) to defeat Popyrin. The Aussie is a heavy underdog, returning a long 6.00 (+500) to cause an upset at Wimbledon. Djokovic holds a -5.5 game handicap as well, with a 1.85 (-118) payout if he covers the spread.
In terms of sets, bookies see this ending quickly. A Djokovic 3-0 result pays 2.00 (+100), while total games are also set low. The over/under market is at 35.5, with 2.00 (+100) for under 35.5 games, and 1.73 (-138) if there are more than 35.5 games.
Djokovic vs Popyrin Preview
Novak Djokovic
It’s been an odd old year for Djokovic. After literally decades of witnessing the 37-year-old consistently win on the ATP Tour, we’re into July and he hasn’t lifted a trophy yet.
However, he’ll be looking to change that in the next eight days. The 24-time Grand Slam champion made a miraculous recovery after having knee surgery just weeks ago following his withdrawal from the French Open. He’s back on court, striking the ball well, and looks like a threat to claim a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title.
Despite no title, Djokovic has still had a strong year by anyone else’s standards. He’s 18-6 for the season, with semi-finals at the Australian Open, Monte-Carlo Masters and Geneva Open, plus a quarter-final run last month in Paris.
So far at Wimbledon, he’s shown that his knee will not be a hindrance to his title hopes. The Serbian is back sliding around the grass. While he may not be as quick as he used to be, he’s still more than capable of moving, and has continued to develop his weapons to make up.
In round one, Djokovic saw off qualifier Vit Kopriva in straight sets. Most recently, he had a tougher time than expected against Brit Jacob Fearnley, but still navigated the clash in four sets.
Alexei Popyrin
Popyrin hasn’t had such a smooth time over his opening two matches at Wimbledon.
The Aussie squared off against dangerous young Brazilian Thiago Monteiro in the first round, getting through the clash in four tight sets. Last round, however, he fought out a brutal five-setter against No 30 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry. At one stage the 24-year-old trailed two sets to one, but held his nerve and won the final two sets to book his spot in the third round against Djokovic.
Popyrin comes into this clash having had a mixed year. He was 10-11 for the season ahead of Wimbledon, having lost all but one of his last eight main draw matches on the ATP Tour. Before this, however, he’d gone 9-4 over the opening months of the year, making the semi-finals in Doha and round of 16 in Monte-Carlo.
While Popyrin hit a career-high of No 38 earlier this year, he’s now slipped back to No 47 courtesy of his weak clay swing.
Djokovic vs Popyrin Prediction
We expect Djokovic to take his game up a level in this clash and move past Popyrin in straight sets.
Why? Because the pair met earlier this year in the second round of the Australian Open, and it was a close match. Popyrin pushed Djokovic to four sets, winning the second and almost claiming the third as well in a tiebreak.
That means that Djokovic won’t be sleeping on Popyrin this round. He’ll remember how close their previous encounter was, and will bring his A-game to the clash on Saturday.
Another factor plays into our prediction as well. Djokovic always builds throughout the course of a Grand Slam, and this one is no different. He’s been decent across the first two rounds, but will know his level needs to raise if he’s going to rival the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz later in the tournament.
Usually, there’s one match where we see a step-change in Djokovic’s level. We’re picking it will be this clash, courtesy of the history between these two.
Prediction: Djokovic in three.
Think Popyrin can punch above his weight and make this one tricky for Novak? Let us know in the comments below!
