The first weekend of Wimbledon is here, and with it a fascinating clash on Centre Court this Saturday. Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic faces off against young Australian Alexei Popyrin in the third round, with the winner booking their spot in the Round of 16 in London.
Can Popyrin cause an upset, or will this be a procession for the 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic? Read on for our Djokovic vs Popyrin prediction and betting tips, based on the latest odds from bookmaker Betfred.
Player Form: It’s Interesting
Both players come into this match having successfully navigated the first two rounds of Wimbledon, but in contrasting styles.
Djokovic has been relatively untroubled. The Serbian saw off Vit Kopriva, a Czech qualifier, for the loss of just a handful of games. In his second match, he clashed against British wildcard Jacob Fearnley, and things were a bit tighter.
The Brit played a high level, while Djokovic’s groundstrokes and serve went missing at times. However, he raised his game when he needed to, getting through the match in four sets.
Popyrin, however, has had a tougher first few rounds. His opener was against Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro, who he saw off in four close sets. Then, came took on No. 30 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the second round, taking five sets to defeat the Argentine.
Overall, both have had choppy seasons. Popyrin is 12-11 for the year, while Djokovic is at 20-6 (poor by his standards).
How the Bookies View It: No Surprises Here
Unsurprisingly, Djokovic is a heavy favourite to win this clash at bookmaker Betfred. He returns just 1/8 for victory, while Popyrin is at 5/1. Set betting puts a Djokovic 3-0 result as the most likely outcome, returning 1/1.
Recent Head-to-Head: There’s History
Djokovic and Popyrin have played twice before. The former No. 1 won their first encounter in straight sets, while their more recent clash–in January this year–was much tighter. Djokovic won in four, but only just avoided a fifth set.
Anything Else Catch the Eye?
Djokovic has been decent over the opening two rounds, but certainly has more to give. Usually, he raises his level around this stage of a Grand Slam–wouldn’t be a surprise if we see a different Djokovic on court this Saturday.
Djokovic vs Popyrin Betting Tips & Predictions
We think that the history between these two will feed into a much improved performance from Djokovic. Expect him to race through this one.
- Djokovic 3-0 @ 1/1
- Total games under 34.5 @ 6/5
The pair play third on Centre Court this Saturday, likely about 5:30pm local time.
Bren is our resident Kiwi, and has been playing or watching sports down under in New Zealand for the better part of three decades. With 12+ years experience as a professional writer, Bren loves to dive deep into all things sport to bring the best betting analysis and predictions here at Mr Fixits Tips.
In December 2020 we sadly 
