Rafael Nadal vs Dominic Thiem
If you think the Golden State Warriors winning the NBA Finals is the only David-vs-Goliath match that you’ll get to see before the World Cup starts, think again. There is still one match that many of the pundits here at SBOBET are looking forward to catching.
The Men’s Single final is slated to become an interesting match for neutral fans and the sports betting crowd. These two are enjoying great success on clay, but Rafael Nadal has garnered much better French Open betting odds than Dominic Thiem.
The Austrian will be embroiled in a tough contest, and it does seem like the odds are stacked against him. However, he has found relative success against the Spaniard last time out and won’t be afraid to try out new tactics against his opponent.
Talking Points
The match centres around one man and one man only. Nadal has continued to be outstanding on the clay and hasn’t looked back. He is the heavy favourite to win his eleventh Roland Garros title, and his performance on the court clearly explains why.
One of the biggest topics talked about among tennis-loving circles is Nadal’s new approach in receiving serves. Instead of standing just close enough to the backcourt, he stands so far back that he is out of the camera shot during live coverages.
While this tactic would usually mean that a great amount of effort would be
Usually, this won’t work out fine against the many power servers that the ATP Pro Tour has. However, clay is disadvantageous for fast serves, and Nadal uses this fact to his advantage. His tactic in receives is so effective that even Thiem and many of the other top-ranking pros have adopted it through the clay season.
“If Nadal stands up in the court, in the traditional position around the baseline, then he has to deal with the normal power of the serve, which can create errors,” ATP Tour strategist Craig O’Shannessy told ESPN.
Moreover, the convincing way by which Nadal overpowered Juan Martin del Potro just adds to the already-impressive legend has built for himself on clay. He beat the Argentine 6-4 6-1 6-2 during the semi-final to make it to his eleventh final.
The 24-year-old Thiem does look like an underdog if he is put side-by-side with Nadal. However, the last thing you’d want to do is underestimate the Austrian. The lad has performed well in this tournament that it warrants for Nadal’s fans and the rest of the betting public to give the man some respect.
Thiem has performed well throughout the clay season and has snagged important victories against Kei Nishikori, Alexander Zverev and Marco Cecchinato. While his quarter-final win against Zverev has a question mark due to the German’s hamstring injury, but Zverev brushed those doubts aside and expressed his trust towards the Austrian.
“I think he can definitely go to the final,” Zverev said after his defeat. “It’s going to be between Rafa and him.
“I think he’s playing very heavy. I think he’s not missing much. I think he’s improved his serve a lot. So he’s definitely playing great tennis. You know, I think one of the three best players on the clay court in the last few years, and right now especially.”
History
Looking at the history of the French Open is not a good pick-me-up for Thiem because the Spaniard has dominated Roland Garros and much of the clay courts for more than a decade now. Seven of his ten French Open titles were won in the past decade, and his form at the moment suggests that this year will be Trophy No. 11 for him.
Nadal’s form in prior tournaments also gives him a major boost. His spectacular performance over Zverev in the Italian Open is encouraging for many of Rafa’s fans. While the young German did take a set from Nadal, the 32-year-old had the composure to keep his cool and take the W.
Thiem will need to look back to his performance against Nadal during the Madrid Masters for inspiration. He was simply unstoppable then and managed to choke Rafa’s chances at victory. Out of all the people in the French Open draw, he has the biggest chance of pulling off an incredible upset.
What are the Odds?
There are a plethora of interesting options if you head to the SBOBET tennis page.
Both have played brilliant tennis on clay, and it is highly possible that this match would go the distance. I see Thiem at least taking a set here, so going for Thiem with a +1.50 Asian Handicap will reward punters with 2.63. If you have complete trust Thiem’s ability this season, going for his 4.12 Money Line odds is the way to go.
However, if you believe Nadal can make a big splash in the final, Nadal’s Game Handicap of -6.50 will give you 1.95.
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