Jannik Sinner vs Novak Djokovic Prediction Shanghai Masters Final Tennis Picks 10/13/24

Jannik Sinner toppled Carlos Alcaraz's conqueror Tomas Machac in the first semifinal on Saturday to reach the 2024 Shanghai Masters final. Sinner is the first Italian to headline the showpiece match in the tournament.

In the victory, Sinner fired ten aces and only one double fault. He landed 67% first serves and won 74% first-serve points (34/46). Sinner won 61% of second-serve points (14/23) and converted three of seven break points.

The win seals the year-end No. 1 ranking, with Sinner making more Italian history as the first to do so. 

Novak Djokovic, for his part, returned to his first Masters 1000 final of the season courtesy of a high-quality straight-sets win over Taylor Fritz in the second semifinal. In the victory, Djokovic hammered seven aces and landed 70% of first serves. He won 78% of first-serve points (39/50) and 62% of second-serve points (13/21) and converted one of nine break points. 

Djokovic saved one set point in the second set, which he won in a tie-break. The Serbian will attempt to win his 100th career title on Sunday.

Jannik Sinner vs Novak Djokovic Head-To-Head

• Novak Djokovic leads Jannik Sinner 4-3 in the head-to-head.

• However, Sinner has won their last two meetings, including in the semifinal of this year's Australian Open, in four sets.

Jannik Sinner vs Novak Djokovic Prediction

It's four straight finals for Jannik Sinner. He's a man in the form of his life. He's not been thrown off by the recent public revelation of his doping case, which has faced even more scrutiny following WADA's appeal. But that aside, Sinner has been fully focused of the task in hand - which is to win tennis matches.

Djokovic has an incredible record at the Shanghai Masters, having never lost a final here and has lifted the title four times. He is looking to become the third man to win a century of career titles (currently on 99). But if we were to factor in the results over the course of the season or even the past month, Sinner has to be the clear-cut favorite. And Djokovic's physical issues, which stemmed from his quarterfinal and resurfaced in his semifinal match, might limit his movement. So, it's Sinner's final to lose.