Novak Djokovic v Pierre-Hugues Herbert: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Men’s world number one Novak Djokovic is the headline act on day three of the French Open and the defending champion in Paris will be expected to make light work of home hope Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

Djokovic, a three-time champion in Paris, is sure to get a good reception while Frenchman Herbert will be cheered on by his home crowd in the hope of landing a remarkable upset.

However, that looks unlikely as Djokovic is leap and bounds ahead of his French counterpart, who is featuring in the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time since the 2021 US Open.

Herbert is more renowned for his doubles game and six of his last eight appearances in the main draw of a major have resulted in first-round exits.

It should, therefore, come as no surprise to see Djokovic a 1/66 shot for glory with the home favourite 20/1 to spring a surprise.

Novak Djokovic v Pierre-Hugues Herbert betting tips and predictions

Novak Djokovic -8.5 games on the handicap - 4/6

It should be a routine victory for Djokovic, who was a 7-6 6-3 winner in his only previous meeting with Herbert.

That was 11 years ago and on a hard court, but while Djokovic has become even more dominant, Herbert’s promise has deteriorated and he tends to save his best tennis nowadays for the doubles.

Herbert comes into his home Grand Slam in terrible touch, having lost seven of his last eight matches with five of those defeats coming in straight sets.

His latest loss came in qualifying in Lyon to world number 250 Javier Barranco Cosano, which ought to spell trouble against a determined Djokovic bidding to defend his French Open crown.

It hasn’t been a strong start to the season for the world number one, who is yet to secure any silverware and was defeated by Tomas Machac in the semi-final in Geneva in his final preparation event.

However, this looks a complete mismatch and for all Djokovic has had an indifferent campaign so far, he has still put in some strong displays.

He was a semi-finalist at the Australian Open and his last six victories have come in straight sets, with a 3-0 win for Djokovic a 4/11 chance.

That looks a likely scenario but it is a short price and punters can get more bang for their buck by backing him to cover a handicap start of -8.5 games, which is available at 4/6.

Djokovic really should be wrapping this up in three sets and, even if Herbert keeps the opening set competitive, the Serb is likely to stamp his authority in the closing two.

Pierre-Hugues Herbert to win under 10.5 games - 8/11

With a Djokovic domination expected, Herbert may struggle to even get past ten games.

The Frenchman has never gone beyond the third round of a Grand Slam and has lost in the opening round of his last four, so he should be out of his depth against a 24-time major champion.

At least one of the sets should be settled by a big margin, so even if Herbert does start strongly he looks unlikely to keep the scoreline respectable.

A 6-3 6-3 6-3 win would be enough for this bet to oblige and, in truth, it is hard to see how the 33-year-old world number 140 can fare much better.

Herbert has lost five of his last seven matches in straight sets and the highest-ranked opponent he has played in those reverses is world number 80 Taro Daniel, which highlights his potential struggles.

Read more tennis betting tips and predictions on site.

Novak Djokovic v Pierre-Hugues Herbert odds

Novak Djokovic - 1/66
Pierre-Hugues Herbert - 20/1

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.