The top two seeds will square off in the men’s final at Wimbledon on Sunday, but sportsbooks overwhelmingly expect No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia to defend his title.
Both semifinals went four sets Friday, with Djokovic beating Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to begin the day. Switzerland’s Roger Federer followed with a compelling 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 win against long-time nemesis Rafael Nadal of Spain.
Federer is an eight-time Wimbledon champion, with his last title coming just two years ago. Djokovic, 32, claimed his fourth title at the All England Club.
“I have a chance to fight for a trophy,” Djokovic said after his semifinal victory. “Regardless of who’s across the net or what is happening, I’ll definitely give it my all.”
Djokovic holds a 25-22 edge in his meetings against Federer, who did his best to sound like an underdog despite owning 20 career grand slam titles — the most in the Open Era by a male player.
“Novak is supreme again,” said Federer. “He’s the defending champion, and he’s showed why this week. He has been rock solid from start to finish so far. I hope I can push him to the brink and hopefully beat him, but it’s going to be very difficult as we know. He’s not No. 1 by chance.”
Djokovic won the Australian Open in January, and is heavily favored to win his 16th major on Sunday.
PointsBet had Djokovic’s moneyline at -189 hours after the semifinals had been decided, while FanDuel and William Hill both had him at -180. Federer, by comparison was +150, +156 and +160, respectively.
–First Set Total Games Over/Under: 7.5 –First Set and Win Match: Djokovic +101, Federer +244 –Total Games Over/Under: 41 –Total Sets: 3 (+137), 4 (+167), 5 (+238) –Djokovic Win in 3 Sets: +235 –Djokovic Win in 4 Sets: +300 –Djokovic Win in 5 Sets: +475 –Federer Win in 3 Sets: +575 –Federer Win in 4 Sets: +550 –Federer Win in 5 Sets: +575
–Difference in Sets Won: Djokovic -2.5 –Both Players to Win a Set: Yes -220, No +162 –Match and Both Players Win a Set: Djokovic +130, Federer +250
–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)
The San Francisco Giants will look to further close the gap in their all-time rivalry with the visiting Oakland Athletics when they seek a second straight win Wednesday night in…
The Cleveland Guardians and Los Angeles Angels will play the third game of their four-game series Wednesday night in Anaheim, Calif., as the Guardians try to rediscover their offense. Cleveland’s…
The Los Angeles Kings are playoff-bound for the first time since the 2017-18 season. The Kings (43-27-10, 96 points) punched their postseason ticket Tuesday night when Dallas defeated Vegas in…
Guardians, slumping Franmil Reyes take on Shohei Ohtani’s Angels
Playoff-bound Kings seek to keep Kraken reeling
Six-man rotation kicks in as Astros, Cristian Javier face Rangers
Jason Robertson, Stars can lock up playoff berth vs. Coyotes