The big knock on the ATP Tour over the course of the last decade is that there really have only been a few players who have had a chance to win any of the major tournaments. However, Stanislav Wawrinka has broken the mold just a bit, reaching the French Open men's final against Novak Djokovic.
ODDS ANALYSIS
Djokovic has had a really tough road to reach the French Open final. He had to face arguably the best clay court player in the history of tennis in Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals and Andy Murray in the semis.
That's why it shouldn't be shocking that Djokovic is a bigger favorite now in the French Open final than he was in the quarterfinals or in the semifinals.
This isn't the first time that Wawrinka has been a massive underdog in this tournament. He hasn't had to go through the same murderer's row that Djokovic has, but no one expected him to beat Roger Federer, especially not as badly as he did.
Djokovic has been lined at -700, while Wawrinka is +525.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"Novak is a machine. I still don't understand what is happening. I look at my career, and I have the impressive I am saying it's the final of Roland Garros. Who's playing? You know, I am going to watch this final. And this time, it's me. But I am not forgetting that this is huge for me. It's not normal because I am not in the 'big four.'" – Stanislav Wawrinka on his disbelief that he is in the French Open Final
DJOKER DOESN'T BEAT HIMSELF
It is clear what happened when Djokovic took his foot off of the gas pedal against Murray in the semifinals. The Serbian player started to beat himself for the first time in this tournament. Both of his double faults in this match came in the latter sets, as did 32 of his 48 unforced errors.
Still, to have just 48 unforced errors in a five set match isn't a big deal. Remember that Djokovic didn't drop a set in his first 17 sets here at Roland Garros against a very tough schedule.
The bottom line that we have noticed though, is that Djokovic probably isn't losing when he isn't beating himself. In his first 17 sets in this tournament, he averaged less than seven unforced errors per set, and he had a total of just two double faults along the way.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Wawrinka has been fantastic along the way, and he has done so with a big serve and a lot of stolen points via aces.
The problem though, is that Djokovic, on top of being a guy who never blows his own serve, puts his opponents into break situations a ton.
The real advantage here for Wawrinka is that he was done playing by about 6:00 p.m. local time in France on Friday, giving him basically 48 hours to prepare for this match. Djokovic meanwhile, had to play on Friday night for three and a half sets, then he had to get back out there for a grueling set and a half against Murray, giving him just over 24 hours off to rest and recoup.
Still, this is a match that we figure to be a short one. Bettors are going to be given a gift in the form of that extra day for Djokovic, as that probably brought him from -1000 down to -700. At this point though, we don't see how the Serb is going to do anything but win this match in straight sets.
Novak Djokovic 7-5, 6-3, 6-4
The tennis online odds for the French Open men's final were first available at BookMaker Sportsbook. Novak Djokovic opened the final at -700. Gamble on all of the matches between every commercial break with BookMaker's live betting feature. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Need to fund your account before the big game but don't have your computer? No problem! BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone. Don't miss out on getting paid because you couldn't bet. Click here, and deposit at BookMaker now! The match between Novak Djokovic and Stanislav Wawrinka will take place on Sunday, June 7, 2015 on the clay court of Court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros in Paris, France. This live match will be seen at 9:00 a.m. ET on NBC.
