Novak Djokovic vs. Karen Khachanov – French Open, October 5, 2020

We’ve now entered the second week of the 2020 French Open and several players have looked unstoppable so far. The world number 1 Novak Djokovic is one of them and it’s interesting to see if he can continue his winning march against Karen Khachanov.

The Russian is the first notable opponent of the Serbian player and the biggest test in the tournament so far.

I share my thoughts on the upcoming clash in this Novak Djokovic vs. Karen Khachanov betting preview. The post includes the latest odds and lines, my prediction, and a free betting pick.

The Novak Djokovic vs. Karen Khachanov odds of the best tennis betting sites are a clear reflection of how good the Serbian has been in the 2020 Roland-Garros. No one expects a win for his opponent and even stealing a set would be considered as a surprise.

The disappointing end of the 2020 US Open has motivated Novak Djokovic to come back stronger than ever in Paris. The Serbian allowed every single of one of his first three opponents exactly five games and has been remarkable.

Fewest games dropped so far at #RolandGarros

? @djokernole (15)
? @rafaelnadal (19)
? @grigordimitrov & @dieschwartzman (22)

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 3, 2020

His serve is working and the world number 1 is playing with relentless aggression. It’s the kind of form that led to a French Open victory in 2016.

And yet, Djokovic hasn’t faced a top opponent up to this point of the tournament. Khachanov is the first real hurdle and this match should tell us more about the favorite than his first three encounters.

Djokovic has three wins against the Russian so far, but he lost the final of the Paris Masters in 2018. That’s actually the biggest victory in Khachanov’s career up to date, so he’s not completely doomed.

You would normally expect of a player with Khachanov’s physique to love grass and struggle on clay. It has been the opposite for the Russian so far and the French Open has been his most successful Grand Slam tournament.

Khachanov reached the quarterfinals in 2019 and is looking to do the same this year. He had some problems in the second and the third rounds of the competition, dropping sets against Jiri Vesely and Cristian Garin.

And yet, the Russian beat them both and will now face Djokovic. I believe that the biggest concern is that Khachanov’s serve was absent at times against Garin and that opened the door to plenty of breakpoints.

He can’t afford the same luxury against the world number 1 and has to show more consistency, or he might get demolished.

I have little doubt that Novak Djokovic will win this one, the question if Khachanov can put up a fight. I believe that the Russian is much better than anything the Serbian has faced so far and should keep it at least somewhat competitive.

That’s why the price for the underdog to stay within 8.5 games looks too tempting. We should see one or two close sets and that could be enough.