2021 French Open First Round – Novak Djokovic vs Tennys Sandgren Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Novak Djokovic vs Tennys Sandgren on and what time does it start? Tuesday 1st June, 2021 – not before 20:00 (UK)
Where is Novak Djokovic vs Tennys Sandgren taking place? Stade Roland Garros, Paris
What surface is Novak Djokovic vs Tennys Sandgren being played on? Clay (outdoor)
Where can I get tickets for Novak Djokovic vs Tennys Sandgren? Click here for the latest ticket information
What channel is Novak Djokovic vs Tennys Sandgren on? Both ITV and Eurosport will be showing live coverage of the French Open so it is worth checking their schedules
Where can I stream Novak Djokovic vs Tennys Sandgren? ITV Hub, Eurosport Player & Amazon Prime Video (in France only)
THE PREDICTION
World number one Novak Djokovic will start his Roland-Garros campaign with a night session against world number 66 Tennys Sandgren on Tuesday in what could be less straight-forward than it looks. 34-year-old Djokovic leads a healthy 3-0 head-to-head record over Sandgren but the American has an extra gear for Grand Slams he inexplicably finds from somewhere, most notably reaching the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in 2018 and 2020. Last year he took Roger Federer to five sets before defeat and he has taken a set off Djokovic at a slam before, with a four-set second-round defeat at the US Open. Whilst 29-year-old Sandgren has been in a pretty low ebb this season he will likely see this as a one-off opportunity and Djokovic has not been perfect in recent weeks. The Serb dropped a set to Andrej Martin in Belgrade last week and has lost to top 30 opponents Dan Evans and Aslan Karatsev on clay this year. Sandgren is currently nowhere near that level but there is enough evidence to suggest here that the American could snatch a set off the Serb. Therefore, the safe option here would simply be Djokovic to win outright, and that is the pick here, but you could be forgiven for taking a one-off punt on Sandgren to win at least a set.
