Novak Djokovic is the second favourite to win the French Open men's singles title this year but the veteran faces a real test of his credentials when he meets Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca for a place in the fourth round.
Djokovic has gone all the way in the singles on the Paris clay three times in his career and two of those wins have come in the last five years.
The 24-time Grand Slam singles champion will doubtless be eyeing a rare opportunity with reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz missing from the French Open draw due to injury and Jannik Sinner suffering elimination against Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
However, to reach another major final, there are a few players in the field good enough to make Djokovic toil in the heat and 19-year-old Fonseca, one of the world's best young players, is definitely on that list.
Joao Fonseca v Novak Djokovic Tips Summary
Best Bet - Over 37.5 games @ 5/6
Alternative Bet - Joao Fonseca to win match @ 7/4
Bet Builder - Over 37.5 games, Joao Fonseca to win match & Novak Djokovic three or more double faults @ 5/1
Joao Fonseca v Novak Djokovic Prediction
Best Bet: Over 37.5 games @ 5/6
Djokovic will be eyeing a fast start in a bid to get it done as quickly as possible, but should he and Fonseca share the opening two sets, that might well be viewed as a negative by the veteran.
The Serb would happily settle for a four-set victory in this encounter, but achieving that for a player of his age on clay would be considerably tougher were the scoreline to stand at 1-1 after two sets.
Winning the first two sets might also enable Djokovic to take a breather in set three and take that section of the match a little less strenuously.
However, there are a lot of what ifs? Punters should remember that Fonseca had already posted a straight-sets win prior to his second-round fightback from 2-0 down against Dino Prizmic.
And Prizmic was in such good nick that the bookmakers could barely split the pair before the match started.
That goes down as a fine win for Fonseca and punters can consider backing the Brazilian to get embroiled in another long outing with Djokovic, one that lasts for at least 38 games.
Alternative Bet: Joao Fonseca to win match @ 7/4
The oddsmakers' prices suggest they think this could turn out to be a competitive heat and, make no mistake, if this match goes long then Djokovic, who has just turned 39 years of age, could find himself in trouble.
This is the pair's first meeting and there are 20 years between them. That's a huge difference and it may be the older man who ends up feeling the pace in the later sets.
Joao Fonseca v Novak Djokovic Bet Builder Tip
Over 37.5 games
Joao Fonseca to win match
Novak Djokovic three or more double faults
Pays 5/1
The top two variables have been explained above, but for the third part of our bet builder it could be worth backing Djokovic to serve three or more double faults.
One of the best players in tennis history will probably be focused and on top of his game, but the longer the game goes on the less he might be able to control matters on court - and then the errors could tot up.
For the record, Djokovic served just two double faults in his four-set first-round win over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, but a whopping nine in round two against Valentin Royer, even though he may have taken that outing a little easier than his first.
Learn more about how Bet Builders work in our Bet Builder guide.
Key Match Stats
Novak Djokovic needed four sets to defeat Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Valentin Royer in the first two rounds
Joao Fonseca has also dropped two sets but both came in round two when he fought back to beat Dino Prizmic 3-6 4-6 6-3 6-1 6-2
This is the second year running that Fonseca has reached the third round of the French Open
Djokovic has won the Australian Open singles 10 times, Wimbledon seven times, the US Open four times and the French Open three times
Djokovic played only one clay prep match before the French Open and lost 2-6 6-2 6-4 to Prizmic in the last-64 of the Rome Masters
Read more tennis betting tips and predictions on site.
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.
