Novak Djokovic can reach the gold-medal match for the first time in his career when he squares off against Alexander Zverev in a men's semifinal match of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Friday at Centre Court of Ariake Tennis Park. Djokovic's best previous Olympic result came in 2008 when he won the bronze medal. The winner of Friday's match will clinch at least a silver medal and will face either Pablo Carreno Busta or Karen Khachanov for gold.
The Djokovic vs. Zverev match is set to begin at approximately 3:20 a.m. ET. William Hill Sportsbook lists Djokovic as a -600 favorite in the latest Djokovic vs. Zverev odds, with Zverev listed at +400 as the underdog. The over-under for total games played is 20.5. Before making any Zverev vs. Djokovic picks, you need to see the Olympics 2020 picks and predictions from tennis handicapper Sean Calvert.
Calvert is the handicapper who called Stan Wawrinka winning the 2014 Australian Open at 60-1, the last Australian title won by someone other than Djokovic or Federer. In 2019, Calvert took down a huge score on Dominic Thiem winning Indian Wells at 80-1. And earlier this month he nailed both of his bets for the Wimbledon men's singles final: Djokovic to win three sets to one (+275) and Djokovic to win and both players to win a set (+130). Anyone following his picks is way up.
Now, Calvert has analyzed the latest Olympics 2020 odds and released his coveted best bet for Djokovic vs. Zverev. He's sharing his Olympics picks and tennis analysis only at SportsLine.
Djokovic vs. Zverev preview
Djokovic is in the midst of a dominant season. The 34-year-old Serb, who already has won the Australian and French Opens and Wimbledon, entered the Olympics with a 34-3 record in 2021. All three losses came on clay, arguably his worst surface. He is currently riding a 22-match winning streak on all surfaces.
In addition, Djokovic has been even tougher with his serve than he normally is. In four matches at the Olympics he is winning 85 percent of the points on his first serve. That exceeds the 74 percent that he's won on his first serve this season on the ATP Tour.
But Zverev has been serving devastatingly well at the Olympics 2020. In four matches in Tokyo, the 24-year-old German has won 83 percent of the points on his first serve. That's a significant improvement over his year-to-date average on the ATP Tour (76 percent).
In addition, Zverev enters Friday's match knowing he pushed Djokovic to the limit in their last meeting, in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. In that clash, Zverev won 74 percent of his first serve points (to Djokovic's 72 percent) and 49 percent of his second serve points (to Djokovic's 44 percent). He also outperformed Djokovic in return stats: 28 percent of points won on first serves (to Djokovic's 26 percent) and 56 percent won on second serves (to Djokovic's 51 percent).
How to make Djokovic vs. Zverev picks
Calvert likes the over 20.5 total games (-125), but he has two other wagers that would pay plus-money, including one that would pay almost 6-1. Be sure to check out Calvert's picks and analysis before making your Olympics 2020 picks for the men's semifinal.
Who wins Djokovic vs. Zverev in the 2020 Olympics men's quarterfinal? And which big plus-money bet should you be all over? Visit SportsLine now to see Sean Calvert's best bets, all from the tennis handicapper who called Wawrinka winning the 2014 Australian Open at 60-1, and find out.
