Are they all playing for second place at the upcoming Nitto ATP Finals? Not necessarily, but world No. 1 Novak Djokovic is an obvious favorite going into London. He is 31-2 in his last 33 matches, has triumphed at the last two majors (Wimbledon and the U.S. Open), and has won the year-end championship five times (four in London).
Based on both his current form and successful history at the O2 Arena, Djokovic is favored–against the entire field, in fact–to lift the trophy next Sunday. Rogederer Federer is a somewhat close second…but with Rafael Nadal and Juan Martin Del Potro both sidelined by injuries, there’s Djokovic, there’s Federer, and then there’s everyone else.
Odds
1. Novak Djokovic -165
2. Roger Federer +225
3. Alexander Zverev +1000
4. Marin Cilic +1200
5. Kei Nishikori +2200
6. Dominic Thiem +2500
7. Kevin Anderson +2500
8. John Isner +2800
With eight of the top 10 players in the world participating, however, it may not be a cakewalk for the Serb. Every other competitor in Djokovic’s round-robin group has defeated him at least once during their careers. The top seed is a -220 favorite to win Group A, while Zverev and Cilic are tied for second (+550) and Isner is the long-shot (+800).
“I’m going to play Novak first, so right away I’m under the gun facing the No. 1 player in the world,” Isner noted. “[The groups are] sort of a pick-your-poison thing. I’m the lowest-seeded player in the field, and that’s never, ever been the case in other events I’ve played. So I wasn’t going to worry or think for 10 seconds about who’s in my group. I’ve played ’em all, and it would’ve been equally as tough had I been in the other group.”
Federer will be challenged in the other quartet by Anderson, Thiem, and Kei Nishikori. The 37-year-old Swiss is the favorite (-150), followed by Nishikori (+400), Anderson (+550), and Thiem (+550). Federer is 55-13 lifetime at this prestigious event with six titles and four runner-up finishes, but he has not won it since 2011 and last reached the final in 2015.
“London is totally different (from most tournaments) because you play against top 10 players already at the start,” the world No. 3 explained. “The good thing is that you play a match and have a day off, play a match and have a day off. But you want to start the tournament well and must play well under pressure immediately. You can’t find your way into the tournament gradually.”
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who ya got?
Tough opening match for Nole. Wouldn’t be exactly astonished if he lost to isner. But the court is probably playing too slow for hawks’s favourite player to get the upset.