Australian Open men's final predictions & tennis betting tips: Nadal v Medvedev

Free tennis tips, best bets and analysis for the Australian Open men's singles between Rafael Nadal vs Daniil Medvedev.

Where to watch

Eurosport 1, 8.30am Sunday

Best bets

Daniil Medvedev to win & both players to win a set
1pt 6-4 bet365

Rafael Nadal to win first set & lose match
0.5pt 5-1 bet365

Men's final preview

Daniil Medvedev denied Novak Djokovic a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title when claiming US Open glory in September and the fired-up Russian can spoil the party again, this time interrupting Rafael Nadal’s shot at history in the Australian Open final.

Nadal was available at 8-1 on the eve of the tournament but has capitalised on a top-half draw missing world number one Djokovic to put himself on the cusp of a memorable success.

However, only one of Nadal’s 20 Grand Slam titles has come in Australia - and that was in 2009 - and his four subsequent finals down under have all resulted in defeat.

Two of those reverses came against Djokovic and one at the hands of Federer, but at 35 years of age it is going to take an almighty effort for the seasoned Spaniard to master his younger rival.

Injuries haven’t been kind to Nadal in recent seasons but a five-set quarter-final triumph over Denis Shapovalov, which was followed by a four-set win over Matteo Berrettini in the semis, show he can still operate to a really high level.

But Medvedev is the best hard-court player on the ATP Tour at present and another marathon match would be expected to play into the Russian’s hands.

The world number two hasn’t always looked composed during this tournament and his frustrations grew in his semi-final success over Stefanos Tsitsipas.

But even with the crowd against him Medvedev was able to channel that anger positively before going on to win in four sets and his never-say-die attitude makes him a formidable opponent.

Medvedev also had to dig deep to find the answers in his quarter-final win over Felix Auger-Aliassime, having lost the opening two sets, and it is those battling qualities that have regularly seen his game compared to that of Djokovic.

The 25-year-old can expect Nadal to come out fighting but if he can ride the early wave then he should be expected to finish the stronger.

The second seed has dropped sets in four of his six wins at Melbourne Park, also prevailing in four against Nick Kyrgios and Maxime Cressy, so Nadal will rightly fancy his chances.

A set, or even two, may be within the Spaniard’s reach but Medvedev coped well with the pressure when defeating Djokovic 6-4 6-4 6-4 to clinch a maiden Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows last year.

There is little that appears to faze the Russian and although a Medvedev win may be an unpopular result, it is by far the most likely outcome.

Not got a bet365 account? Bet £10 & get £50 in free bets

Open account offer. Minimum deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as bet credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Minimum odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude bet credits stake. Time limits/T&Cs apply. 18+ begambleaware.org

CLAIM OFFER HERE

MORE FREE BETS

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport