It’s a match more suited for a Grand Slam final, and yet Andy Murray will be taking on Stan Wawrinka in the first round of the French Open this Sunday.
Who will come out on top in this battle of the veterans? Read on for our Murray vs Wawrinka prediction and betting tips.
At this stage of his career, Murray is just playing tennis for the love of the sport. He’s 37 years old and is clearly not about to add to his tally of three Grand Slams. However, he’s a fierce, fierce competitor, and that’s exactly what we can expect on Sunday against Wawrinka.
Murray’s story this year has been deja vu to the past couple of seasons: marred by injury. The Brit was beginning to look decent with a handful of nice wins across Doha, Dubai, Indian Wells and Miami. Then, disaster struck, with the former world No. 1, tearing an ankle ligament against Tomas Machac.
That injury saw him out for two months. Since then, he’s played one Challenger and one ATP 250, getting one win through retirement and losing the other two matches. But you better believe he’ll be bringing his best tennis to the court against Wawrinka at Roland Garros.
Wawrinka is in almost the exact same boat as Murray, in terms of stage of career. The Swiss is playing because he wants to. He won’t win another Grand Slam, but he’s still enjoying the ride, so why stop?
Recent form doesn’t make for pretty reading when it comes to the 39-year-old. He’s been downplaying Challengers mostly and is 2-8 in his past 10 matches. Can he rekindle the kind of form that saw him win this tournament in 2015? Read on to find out.
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How the Bookies View It: Wawrinka Ahead, But It’s Close
Bookies have this match fairly tight, with Wawrinka slightly favoured at 8/15 in the outright betting. Murray isn’t far behind, however, paying 6/4 to win. Set betting says Wawrinka in three is the most likely outcome, with this returning 11/4.
Recent Head-to-Head: Advantage Murray
These two Grand Slam champions have met an impressive 22 times previously, including twice in the semi-finals of the French Open. Murray holds a 13-9 edge in the overall head-to-head and also won their most recent meeting in Cincinnati 18 months ago. Wawrinka, however, leads their clay head-to-head 5-1.
Anything Else Catch the Eye?
This is not the first time Murray and Wawrinka have met in the first round of Roland-Garros. The pair clashed four years ago, with Wawrinka racing past Murray 6-1, 6-3, 6-2. Murray was fresh off his hip surgery then.
There’s a strong chance this will be the last time we see both of these players at Roland-Garros. For Murray, he’s verbalised his intention to retire within the next few months. Wawrinka hasn’t made any such comments, but at 39 years of age, can’t be far off.
Murray vs Wawrinka Betting Tips & Predictions
This is a tough one to call. Both are in fairly poor form on paper. Wawrinka has more match time under his belt recently, while Murray’s peak has looked better in 2024. What we do know, is this should be a real contest.
- Total games over 38.5 @ 4/5
- Five sets total @ 2/1
Murray and Wawrinka will headline the night session on day one of the French Open, not before 8:15pm local time on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
In December 2020 we sadly 
