Kevin Anderson vs. Novak Djokovic Career Stats, Prediction for 2018 Men's Final
Novak Djokovic owns the head-to-head advantage over Kevin Anderson before their final at Wimbledon 2018 on Sunday. Djokovic should be favourite on Centre Court, not only because of the way he's dominated Anderson historically, but also for his greater record and experience in Grand Slam finals.
Anderson has yet to win a grand slam and is playing in his first Wimbledon final. While he's shown great resolve to come this far, even sending defending champion Roger Federer to a shock early exit, the South African will struggle to cope with a resurgent Djokovic, who beat Rafael Nadal in a five-set semi-final that stretched into Saturday after play was suspended on Friday.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
There have been six previous meetings between Anderson and Djokovic, per the ATP World Tour official website, with the latter winning five of them. The Serb is even used to beating Anderson at Wimbledon, having dispatched him from the 2011 edition of the tournament in straight sets.
Ironically, Djokovic needed a fifth set after coming from two down to win three in a row and send Anderson packing in 2015. Anderson travelled the exact same route to eliminate Federer this year, before winning the longest semi-final in Wimbledon history against John Isner on Friday, a five-set instant classic lasting six hours and 35 minutes.
Ironically, it was Djokovic who previously held the record for the longest match in the last four at SW19, following a 2013 clash against Juan Martin del Potro lasting "four hours and 44 minutes," per BBC Sport.
Both players have been pushed to the limit at the All England Club this year, and as a result, they may not have enough left in their respective tanks for another lengthy, five-set tilt.
If experience proves decisive, expect Djokovic to come out on top, thanks to his ability to handle winning. The 31-year-old has 801 career wins to his credit, compared with Anderson's 294.
Among Djokovic's victories, 64 have come at Wimbledon, the fourth-most in the tournament's history, per the ATP World Tour. He also has 12 grand slams wins on his resume, while the closest Anderson has been to a win came at the 2017 U.S. Open when he was bested by Nadal.
The career statistics and records of both men point to Djokovic earning the win and the title. It will be close, but the former world No. 1 is playing some of his finest tennis at the right time and is skilled enough to see off an opponent as resilient as Anderson.
Prediction: Djokovic wins 6-2, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
