Wimbledon predictions: How to bet Jannik Sinner vs Novak Djokovic Tiafoe in Friday's semifinal

Jannik Sinner couldn’t have asked for a better draw here at Wimbledon, but the lack of quality opponents could cost him.

The Italian had the joy of facing five players ranked 79 or higher en route to his first career Wimbledon semifinal, dispatching of World No. 92 Roman Safiullin in his latest match.

Now, he’ll face the tough task of raising his level to a place where he can compete with the greatest tennis player of all time.

Sinner stunned Novak Djokovic when the two met here in last year’s quarterfinals by taking the first two sets off of the 23-time grand slam champion, but the legend responded with three straight sets in short order. He figured out how to read the serve of the Italian and broke him down physically from the baseline.

There’s no reason to expect anything different this time around.

Djokovic had only run into Sinner once before that Wimbledon match, and it was in a 2021 clay event. Sinner wasn’t nearly the same player as he was when they faced off on the grass last year, and he was also playing on a slow surface which didn’t reward his all-world power. With that, it was understandable that Djokovic initially struggled against Sinner.

The Italian actually prefers to face players who can hit the ball as hard as he can. He welcomed a ball-basing contest against Safiullin and Quentin Halys just a couple of rounds prior and he’s been able to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Nick Kyrgios. Against a better defender and a more cerebral player, Sinner looks less than his best.

With that, I see a tough road in here for the young challenger. He’s never contested a grand slam semifinal and nerves should certainly get the best of him in this one.

I also think facing so many poor opponents in a row will prove to be a hurdle that Sinner can’t quite leap over. He’ll have to raise his level in a hurry if he wants to make an imprint on this match, because if he loses the first set it could be all but over.

I love the Under 37.5 games here in a match which could go rather quickly should Djokovic grab the first set. I think the Italian is getting a little too much credit here for beating up on bad competition, and with these odds you’d hardly know he’s now lost three straight sets to Djokovic.

The bet: Under 37.5 games games.

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