The No. 1 player in the world, Jannik Sinner, takes on the legendary Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinals. The match begins at 3:30 a.m. ET on Friday morning.
Sinner is a -1160 favorite to advance to the final, while Djokovic is +810 to pull off the upset. This is my best bet to target on DraftKings Sportsbook for the Sinner vs. Djokovic match.
Jannik Sinner vs. Novak Djokovic Preview
Jannik Sinner is on a warpath to win his third consecutive Australian Open. He has only dropped one set through five matches, including a demolition of Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals. Sinner has been the dominant force in Australia for the past two years and will now face the former “King of Australia,” Novak Djokovic, in this semifinal. There is not much that can be said about Jannik Sinner that hasn’t already been said. However, at odds of -1160, he is the largest betting favorite over Novak Djokovic in nearly 20 years. Only as a teenager was Djokovic considered such an underdog. Of course, Djokovic is not at the elite level he was a few years ago, but that really demonstrates the absurd level that Jannik Sinner has reached.
Novak Djokovic was the man to beat in Melbourne for over a decade. He won his first career Grand Slam title here in 2008, then went on to win nine more, including his last one in 2023. Djokovic holds many records at the Australian Open, most notably the record for most singles titles with 10. He has had a strange path to this year’s semifinal. He dominated his first three matches, winning each of them in straight sets. Djokovic then didn’t have to play a fourth-round match because his opponent bowed out of the tournament due to injury. It happened again in the quarterfinals, only this time, Djokovic was down 2:0 to Lorenzo Musetti, when Musetti also had to retire due to injury. So, Djokovic has played a minimal amount of tennis to get here. It could be a benefit to his fitness, but it’s also unclear if Djokovic’s current game is worthy of this spot.
Jannik Sinner vs. Novak Djokovic Pick, Best Bet
My best bet for this match is for Jannik Sinner to win in straight sets. Sinner has already been the main man in Australia for the past two years, but this match could signal the official changing of the guard. Djokovic has won 10 of these, including two different three-peats. If Sinner goes on to win it this year, he will join Djokovic as the only other player in the Open Era to three-peat in Melbourne. Also, with three Australian Open titles at just 24-years-old, he would be well on his way to chasing Djokovic’s record number of titles here.
Novak Djokovic is a legend and can still use his experience and prodigious skills to beat up on the lesser players on tour. However, against the best players in the world, all significantly younger than him, Djokovic has struggled in recent years. He has failed to beat Jannik Sinner in any of their last five meetings. Three of those five matches have been major semifinals, including the 2024 Australian Open semis.
Each of Sinner’s past three wins over Djokovic has come in straight sets. There is not a single part of his game that is not at an elite level at the moment. Sinner should completely overwhelm Djokovic in this match and make it clear that he is on another level. Sinner seems destined for the three-peat in Melbourne, and even the tournament’s greatest ever player is not going to be able to stop him.
