23rd GS title for Novak Djokovic?

The two semi-finals on centre court at Roland Garros were eagerly anticipated on Friday. However, the fans only got to see tennis at the highest level for a short time, on the whole they were two one-sided matches that were not convincing in terms of tension and drama. A similar scenario may be looming on Sunday, as betting odds of just over 1.20 are offered on the Serbian oldie in the final between Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud.

It seems as if the now 36-year-old Serb can once again impressively fend off the onslaught of youth. Roger Federer has already retired, Rafael Nadal has announced his last season for 2024 and players like Stan Wawrinka or Andy Murray are no longer at the level of past days after their injuries. In this respect, the “Djoker” is consistency personified and has a great chance to win his third French Open title despite a weak clay court preparation.

For the Norwegian challenger it would be the first major title on the tour and also the first GS title for Norway. Despite clear success against “Sascha” Zverev, the forecast for Djokovic vs. Ruud does not seem promising for the world number four

Last year, the fans saw a completely overtaxed Ruud in the French Open final. The underdog won just six games. In 2023, the organisers are hoping for a much more exciting final. The first rally will be played on Sunday at just after 3 p.m.

Novak Djokovic – Statistics & current form

93 tournament wins, 22 of them Grand Slam titles – 36-year-old Novak Djokovic is still that player to beat despite his advanced age. The French Open 2023 is once again the best proof of this, as the triumphant march towards the final was not to be expected for the current world number three. The “Djoker” was not at all convincing in his preparation on the red clay. In Monte Carlo he lost to Lorenzo Musetti, in Banja Luka to Dusan Lajovic and in Rome Holger Rune was too much for him. He did not reach more than the quarter-finals in any of the three clay court tournaments before the French Open.

23rd Grand Slam title within reach

“Nole” himself is not surprised that he is now playing his best tennis in Paris. At an advanced age, he has also realised that he can no longer go to his performance limit (or even above it) in every match. Strengths have to be better managed and the focus has to be on the highlights. The Grand Slam tournaments are, of course, precisely those highlights and on Sunday Djokovic has the very, very big chance to become the sole record holder in the number of Grand Slam titles for the first time.

Earlier this year, he won the Australian Open Down Under for the tenth time, in addition to two titles at Roland Garros (last in 2021), seven times at Wimbledon and three triumphs at Flushing Meadows at the US Open. For the 23rd GS title on Sunday, the bookmakers are offering odds of 1.20 to 1.25 between Djokovic and Ruud.

Although this is a duel between the number three and four in the world, this clear starting position is also due to the previous performances of the “Djoker” as well as the H2H. Djokovic only lost a set against Karen Khachanov and Carlos Alcaraz in the entire tournament. In the generational duel against top favourite Alcaraz, the two played at the highest level for two sets. But then the body of the much younger Spaniard went on strike, while Djokovic, in the late autumn of his career, was far better able to cope with the great exertions. With 6:1 and 6:1, sets three and four were a relaxed affair that took no energy.

Casper Ruud – statistics & current form

Casper Ruud, now 24, is currently ranked number four in the world and was even ranked number two last September. The man from the north is a master of consistency, as he has not yet been able to celebrate any major triumphs on the tour. He has a total of ten tournament victories to his name, but he has not won a Grand Slam tournament or a Masters title. However, in 2022 he reached the final of the French Open, the US Open and the ATP Finals at the end of the year.

Back to old strength on the red ash

The drop from second to fourth place is mainly due to the poor start to the season on hard court. The year’s balance on hard court is currently even in the negative range, he could only win five of the eleven matches. Only with the beginning of the clay court season did the results become more consistent again. However, Casper Ruud cannot yet call a tournament victory in 2023 his own.

The road to his second French Open final was by and large not very spectacular. The draw provided pleasant opponents in the first four rounds, before he had his first real test in the quarter-finals with Holger Rune, who he mastered with aplomb. His semi-final on Friday evening against Alexander Zverev was no problem at all. The German was extremely prone to mistakes, while Ruud avoided them almost completely and was ice-cold in his break opportunities.

Zverev was completely at a loss and attributed this to problems with his thigh. Nevertheless, it was a well-deserved and clear victory, which allowed Ruud to save some energy and finally not to be on the losing side in a big final. The clear head-to-head is not by chance, we don’t see the means to defeat the experienced Djoker in a Bo5 with Ruud. However, clay court is his absolute favourite surface and he is certainly mentally a bit further ahead than he was twelve months ago. A firing like 2022 is not to be expected, so betting on Ruud + 5.5 Games seems to be a good option for Djokovic vs.

Novak Djokovic – Casper Ruud Direct comparison / H2H balance

Head to Head: 4:0

Four times the two players have faced each other on tour so far and each time the bet on the victory of the favoured oldie from Serbia was the right decision. Ruud, who is twelve years younger, has seen no ground in the four matches so far and lost in all matches without winning a set of his own. However, this clash has never happened before in a Grand Slam – the French Open final in 2023 will be a first in this respect.

Novak Djokovic – Casper Ruud Tip

The next generational duel for the “Djoker” and it is highly likely that the 36-year-old Serb will once again be able to lift the winner’s trophy to the sky late on Sunday afternoon and celebrate his 23rd GS title. The facts speak for themselves and the odds on the 2023 French Open final between Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud are correspondingly low.

Experience, head-to-head, style of play – Novak Djokovic has the advantage on all counts. However, we are in good spirits that Casper Ruud will show improvement compared to his previous major finals and that the match will not be quite as one-sided an affair as last year. Djokovic also has to take a short break every now and then and cannot deliver the high level throughout. This should create chances for Ruud to win at least one set.