Berdych to win first Djokovic set likely at ATP World Tour Finals

The semi finalists from Group A at the ATP World Tour Finals are on the brink of being discovered and the top two seeds Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are hard to oppose in their final round robin games.

But both are unlikely to enjoy the same comfort of Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro in the latest Group B clashes, who triumphed in straight sets and in the process landed us a nice 6/4 double.

There is every chance Djokovic and Murray will need three sets to claim their victories.

Of the big four in men’s tennis, Tomas Berdych tends to struggle the most against Djokovic, winning just one of their 11 previous meetings.

This includes all of the last eight since Wimbledon in 2008 and all nine to have ever been played on hard courts.

Therefore, it is no surprise that Djokovic is as short as 1/5 for victory, but it is unlikely to be a one-sided rout.

Berdych has taken the first set in three of their last five showdowns and in both of his games at the ATP World Tour Finals this year.

As a result, Berdych may be worth backing at 12/5 to win the first set, while it is 5/1 that Djokovic recovers from losing the first set to win the match and maintain his dominance of Group A with a third straight success.

There is also unlikely to be an upset in the other Group A clash, with Murray a rightfully strong favourite to beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Admittedly, 1/6 does seem a bit too short on a Murray victory, but Tsonga has lost the last five meetings between the two and has not beat a player ranked in the top eight of men’s tennis all season.

Furthermore, he is already as good as out after defeats in London to Djokovic and Berdych.

Punters wanting some value could do worse than take the 3/1 that Murray wins 2-1 as both his games in London so far have gone to a deciding set.

Meanwhile, Tsonga has taken a set off Murray in three of their last four showdowns.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.