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Second-ranked Novak Djokovic is heavily favored to claim his eighth Australian Open title in Sunday’s men’s final against No. 5 Dominic Thiem.

Thiem booked his third grand slam finals – and first on a hard-court surface – by rallying from a set down to beat Alexander Zverev in Friday’s semifinal. Djokovic had previously dispatched of an ailing Roger Federer in straight sets.

Djokovic is being offered at -390 by FanDuel and -350 by William Hill, compared to +310 and +290 for Thiem, respectfully.

William Hill has a +138 moneyline on Djokovic winning in straight sets, +260 for a 3-1 win and +500 for a five-set triumph. Thiem is +1100 to win in straight sets, +800 to win 3-1 and +800 for a five-set victory.

Among the sportsbook’s prop bets is a -150 moneyline that both players will win at least one set and +110 that it will be a straight-sets victory either way. Thiem is +138 to not win a set, compared to +110 for the same bet on Djokovic.

Djokovic is being offered at -225 by FanDuel to win the first set, compared to +180 for Thiem. Djokovic is also -108 to win at least six more games than Thiem during the match, while Thiem is -124 to not lose by more than five total games.



Thiem, 26, reached the finals of the French Open in 2018 and 2019, but the Austrian has yet to win his first grand slam title. He rallied from a 2-1 set deficit against Alex Bolt in the second round and dropped one set in three of his four matches leading up to the final.

That included losing the first set 6-3 to the seventh-seeded Zverev before reeling off three consecutive sets.

“I try to take my experience, what I made in the last two major finals and try to improve myself even more.”

Always working and learning 💪 #AO2020 | #AusOpen | @ThiemDomi pic.twitter.com/bRdahZ3YV9

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 31, 2020

Thiem was upset in the second round in last year’s Australian Open, but opened eyes with his hard-court title at Indian Wells two months later. He went on to win two more hard-court events in 2019 (Vienna, Beijing) and also reached the ATP Finals.

“Indian Wells, that victory gave me so much relief and so much confidence because (I) finally got my first Masters 1000 title on hard court,” Thiem told reporters after beating Zverev. “Then I think last fall in Asia, then in the indoor season, I made this huge step forward. I really developed my game I think in the right direction.

“I got more aggressive on hard courts, started to serve smarter and to return better. That also gave me a lot of confidence for this new year and for Australia because I told myself, ‘If I can be in the finals in London, the ATP Finals, why not as well in a hard-court Slam?’ Since then I know that I’m also playing very well on the faster surfaces.”

Day 12 is done and dusted ✅

The final showdowns are set ✅

We've saved all the best moments for you right here ✅#AusOpen I #AO2020

https://t.co/CiP65hI1DJ

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 31, 2020

Djokovic has been in dominating form since arriving in Melboune. He did drop a set in his opening match against Jan-Lennard Struff, but has been taken to only two tiebreakers in winning each of his past five matches in straight sets.

The 32-year-old Serbian is the defending champion and also won the Australian Open in 2008, 2012-13 and 2015-16.

“We are playing in tough times, (we) young players,” said Thiem, who has beaten four consecutive seeded players this week, including No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals. “We always have to beat all these unbelievable legends. But I think it’s a complete different situation.”



“Rafa won Paris 12 times, (Djokovic) here seven times. That’s (an) unbelievable achievement. But I try to take my experience that I made in the past two major finals and try to improve myself even more. I think I did that from ’18 to ’19 in Paris, and I tried to improve even more now.

“In this one I have the feeling that I have great experience now. I’m feeling that I can really keep up my level for all the two weeks, which was not the case maybe in my first Roland Garros final. So that’s what I’m taking, (and I’m going to) try to be in the zone straightaway on Sunday night.”

–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)