2016 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters- Rafael Nadal vs Andy Murray

Two of the biggest names in Men’s tennis face off for a place in the final in Monte Carlo, with 5th seed Rafael Nadal taking on 2nd seed Andy Murray in the semi-finals at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.This match will take place at 13:00 Monte Carlo Time (12:00 UK Time) and the winner of this match will face 13th seed Gael Monfils or 8th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final.

It is Nadal who has had the more comfortable road of the two; the Spaniard is yet to drop a set after playing some strong tennis in his three matches so far. Nadal eased past Aljaz Bedene in the second round and edged past 12th seed Dominic Thiem in two sets in the 3rd round, though was at his most impressive as he eased past 4th seed Stan Wawrinka for the loss of just five games; he will be extremely confident after those wins. Murray struggled to begin with, being pushed to three sets by Pierre-Hughes Hubert, and nearly lost in the third round to the 16th seed Benoit Paire. However, he crushed 10th seed Milos Raonic for the loss of just two games in the quarter-finals and a similar performance will give him a chance in this clash.

The 5th seed is in the better form though has been inconsistent this season; Nadal must try to maintain his level. The Spaniard must look to serve and well and must strike his forehand well, as this could help him dictate play. Nadal may need to defend well against Murray, who returned and attacked well in his last match, and must take advantage if the Brit starts to play some below-par tennis. It is crucial for Murray to play like he did against Raonic, and he must serve well, so Nadal cannot dictate play by attacking weak second serves by the Brit. The 2nd seed should also look to attack Nadal’s game and should try to dictate play at every opportunity he gets, though he will also need to defend well against Nadal’s strong attacking, which has been good this tournament.

Nadal comfortably leads the head to head 16-6 and won their previous meeting, at the ATP tour finals, in straight sets. He also leads the head to head on clay 5-1, though Murray beat Nadal the last time they played on the surface, with the Brit comfortably taking the Madrid title last season. Murray certainly has a strong chance to win this as he plays like he did against Raonic, though Nadal has been impressive this tournament and should be good enough to just edge this.

Prediction: Nadal in 3

 

2016 Australian Open- Rafael Nadal vs Fernando Verdasco

An interesting all-Spanish clash takes place on day two of theAustralian Open as 5th seed Rafael Nadal takes on Fernando Verdasco in a rematch of their epic semi-final at this tournament back in 2009. This match is set to take place on the Rod Laver Arena at around 15:00 Melbourne Time (04:00 UK Time) and the winner of this match faces Benjamin Becker or Dudi Sela in the second round.

Nadal had a pretty strong start to the year, reaching the final in Doha before being demolished by Novak Djokovic. Despite this loss, Nadal played some good tennis and showed further progression in his quest to get back to his best. Doha was also the only tournament for Verdasco and he too went out to Djokovic in the second round, following a win over Malek Jaziri. Whilst this wasn’t the best start of the year for Verdasco, his level of tennis wasn’t bad and that will encourage him.

Nadal has the stronger game of the two and goes into this match as favourite, though the fact he hasn’t got back to his best yet suggests that he could still be at risk of a bad performance. If Nadal does play badly Verdasco will have to take every opportunity he gets, though his game may not be up to scratch; it is key that he serves extremely well and his game is consistent- that is probably the only way he could beat Nadal. As for the former world number one he should look to take all his opportunities as quickly as possible so he doesn’t waste energy, and should also look to play a strong match to show how well he is playing.

The head to head is extremely one-sided, with Nadal leading 14-2. This match will bring back memories of their epic 2009 semi-final, though this is unlikely to be as competitive. Nadal should be able to win this and win it fairly comfortably, though Verdasco is capable of making it interesting.

Prediction: Nadal in 3

ATP World Tour Finals- Player Profiles

It’s been another great year on the ATP, and the tour action finishes in London as the top eight players in the world look to finish their season on a high. Here are some fact files for each player, including what chance I think they have of being able to win the tournament.

The draw is later today, so look out for my draw prediction in the coming days!

Novak Djokovic

• Ranking: 1st
• 2015 W/L Record: 78-5
• Best Grand Slam Performance: Winner- Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open
• Titles in 2015: 10
• Opportunity to win: 9/10

Andy Murray

• Ranking: 2nd
• 2015 W/L Record: 68-12
• Best Grand Slam Performance: Runner-up- Australian Open
• Titles in 2015: 4
• Opportunity to win: 7/10

Roger Federer

• Ranking: 3rd
• 2015 W/L Record: 59-10
• Best Grand Slam Performance: Runner-up- Wimbledon and US Open
• Titles in 2015: 6
• Opportunity to win: 7.5/10

Stan Wawrinka

• Ranking: 4th
• 2015 W/L Record: 53-16
• Best Grand Slam Performance: Winner- French Open
• Titles in 2015: 4
• Opportunity to win: 6/10

Rafael Nadal

• Ranking: 5th
• 2015 W/L Record: 58-19
• Best Grand Slam Performance: Quarter-Final- Australian Open and French Open
• Titles in 2015: 3
• Opportunity to win: 5.5/10

Tomas Berdych

• Ranking: 6th
• 2015 W/L Record: 57-19
• Best Grand Slam Performance: Semi-Final- Australian Open
• Titles in 2015: 2
• Opportunity to win: 4.5/10

David Ferrer

• Ranking: 7th
• 2015 W/L Record: 55-13
• Best Grand Slam Performance: Quarter-Final- French Open
• Titles in 2015: 5
• Opportunity to win: 3.5/10

Kei Nishikori

• Ranking: 8th
• 2015 W/L Record: 53-14
• Best Grand Slam Performance: Quarter-Final- Australian Open and French Open
• Titles in 2015: 3
• Opportunity to win: 4/10

2015 Shanghai Rolex Masters- Rafael Nadal vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

The first Shanghai Rolex Masters semi-final sees an interesting clash between 8th seed Rafael Nadal and 16th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, taking place at 16:30 Beijing Time (09:30 UK Time).

Whilst the year hasn’t been great overall for Rafa Nadal, there have been some promising signs in Shanghai. Receiving a bye in the 1st round, he started with an extremely tough 7-5 6-7 7-6 win over Ivo Karlovic in the 2nd round. He then put in a solid performance to beat 9th seed Milos Raonic 6-3 7-6, though his most comfortable performance came in the quarter-finals where he stormed past 4th seed Stan Wawrinka 6-2 6-1- whilst Wawrinka was poor, Nadal was equally as good. Tsonga has also played some good tennis this week, though it has been a much longer road for him. He had to battle from a set down to beat Tommy Robredo 6-7 6-2 6-2 in the 1st round, though he was much more comfortable in a 6-3 6-2 win over Victor Estrella Burgos in the 2nd round. Another tough match followed in the 3rd round, where he battled Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-7 7-5 6-4, and he then had to tough out another victory as he beat 12th seed Kevin Anderson 7-6 5-7 6-4 in the quarter-finals. It will be interesting to see how much energy has been taken out of him.

Nadal will be the favourite for this match and he does lead the head to head 8-3, though they haven’t played since 2013. For Nadal it is important for him to be aggressive against the powerful Frenchman, and should also try to get Tsonga moving- the 16th seed may be worn out, so Nadal may try to sap his energy even further by making this a slug-fest. As for Tsonga he will need to try to finish the rallies as soon as possible to save energy, but will also want to attack the Nadal serve as much as possible.

Nadal hasn’t had the greatest year but he has played well here and it is hard to see him losing to a potentially drained Tsonga. The Frenchman has the potential to win, but I don’t think he’ll have enough energy to seal a victory.

Prediction: Nadal in 3

2015 Shanghai Rolex Masters- Rafael Nadal vs Stan Wawrinka

Arguably the most interesting quarter-final at the Shanghai Rolex Masters sees 8th seed Rafael Nadal take on 4th seed Stan Wawrinka not before 15:00 Beijing Time (08:00 UK Time).

It has clearly not been the best year for Nadal and he had a tough start here as he had to battle past the in-form and big-serving Ivo Karlovic 7-5 6-7 7-6 in the 2nd round, after receiving a bye in the 1st round. He faced another big server in the 3rd round, but was more comfortable in a 6-3 7-6 win over 9th seed Milos Raonic. Wawrinka has had a better year than Nadal, highlighted by the French Open title, though he has also had to work hard in Shanghai so far. He started in the 2nd round with a 7-6 6-3 win over the tricky Viktor Troicki, but then had to battle past 14th seed Marin Cilic 7-5 6-7 6-4 in a tough 3rd round match. It will be interesting to see how fit both men are following tough matches.

On paper this match looks clearly in Nadal’s favour- he leads the head to head 12-2. However Wawrinka has played the much better tennis this year and has won the past two meetings between the two- in the Australian Open final last year and in Rome this year. Whilst Nadal has lost some power this year, it is still important for Wawrinka to be serving well and hitting his strokes- especially his one-handed backhand- well as there have been some positive signs for Nadal recently. Nadal has been trying to be more aggressive against the top players, but that didn’t work against Djokovic in the China Open final- will he try that here? Wawrinka will make more errors than Djokovic, but could overpower the Spaniard if he isn’t striking the ball with any pace.

This match should be tight and with both men having had similar roads to this stage, it should be quite an even match. With Nadal not at his best, I do see Wawrinka edging this one though I wouldn’t be too surprised if Nadal was the victor.

Prediction: Wawrinka in 3

Enjoy the article? Follow me on Twitter at @addictedtennis for more tennis tweets, updates and posts!

2015 China Open- Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal

There is a blockbuster final at the China Open for the men as top seed Novak Djokovic takes on 3rd seed Rafael Nadal at around 19:30 Beijing Time (12:30 UK Time). Here is my prediction!

It’s been an extremely impressive run for Novak Djokovic, who has barely broken a sweat on his way to the final. He started with an extremely comfortable 6-1 6-1 win over Simone Bolelli, and then had another comfortable win as he eased past Ze Zhang 6-2 6-1. His most impressive performance came in the quarter-finals, where he beat 6th seed John Isner 6-2 6-2 in a surprisingly straight forward victory. He did lose his serve for the first time in the semi-final, though he was still comfortable in a 6-2 6-3 win over 4th seed David Ferrer. He will take some stopping.

It’s been a much more difficult road for Nadal. Starting with a 6-4 6-4 win over Wu Di, a match more difficult for the Spaniard than expected, he backed that up with a tough 7-6 6-4 victory over Vasek Pospisil in the 2nd round. His most difficult match came in the quarter-finals, where he came from a set down to beat Jack Sock 3-6 6-4 6-3. His most impressive performance came in the semi-final, where he beat Fabio Fognini (who had won three of their four meetings this year) 7-5 6-3. However he will need to play much better to beat Djokovic.

Unfortunately this does seem to be a forgone conclusion. Whilst their rivalry has been competitive in the past Djokovic is leagues above Nadal’s level at the moment. If Nadal plays very well he will have an opportunity to win, though if Djokovic is at the level he has been all year this shouldn’t be massively difficult for him.

Prediction: Djokovic in 2

2015 China Open- Rafael Nadal vs Fabio Fognini

The first semi-final of the day seed 3rd seed Rafael Nadal take on the unseeded Fabio Fognini in their 5th meeting of this season. It should be an interesting match and it is first on the National Tennis Stadium at 12:30 Beijing Time (05;30 UK Time). Here is my prediction!

It hasn’t been the most simple road for Nadal to reach this stage. He had to work harder than expected against Di Wu, winning 6-4 6-4, and then saw off the tricky Vasek Pospisil in a tight 7-6 6-4 score line. He then had to come from behind in his quarter-final match, eventually seeing off Jack Sock 3-6 6-4 6-3. His best tennis of the week came in those final two sets against Sock, though he might not be able to get away with such a slow start against Fognini.

Fognini hasn’t had the most successful year, but has played some good tennis so far. His most impressive performance came in the 1st round where he cruised past Martin Klizan 6-2 6-1, and followed that by upsetting 7th seed David Goffin 6-2 2-6 6-2. He then faced another tight match before beating Pablo Cuevas 6-1 2-6 6-2. Fognini has played some good tennis so far, but may not be able to afford a mid-match dip like his past two matches.

The two have already played four times this year, and surprisingly Fognini has won three of them. He leads 2-1 on Clay and his most significant win was a comeback in the US Open 3rd round- he was two sets down. However Fognini can be extremely erratic, and it is important that he not only plays well but also controls his temperament. As for Nadal, he will need to play like he did in the final two sets against Sock but will also need to give very few opportunities to the Italian.

This should be a good match and it will be interesting to see if one player gets off to a quick start. It should be tight, but Nadal will have some momentum after those final two sets against Sock and should just edge this.

Prediction- Nadal in 3

2015 China Open- Day 5 Men’s Picks

There is a mixture of matches taking place in the Men’s draw in Beijing, with two final 1st round matches taking place as well as the 2nd round action beginning- here are three of my predictions!

Pablo Cuevas vs Tomas Berdych

Shenzhen champion and 2nd seed Tomas Berdych looks to get his campaign off to a good start as he faces Pablo Cuevas 2nd on the Lotus Court. Berdych will be full of confidence after his 1st title of the year in Shenzhen, and has played well in China so far. Whilst this season hasn’t hit the heights of 2014 for Pablo Cuevas, he has still had a pretty solid year and is still in the top 40. However whilst the two have never played before, Berdych is a much better player than Cuevas (Especially on hard courts) and should have far too much for the Uruguayan here.

Prediction: Berdych in 2

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez vs Ivo Karlovic

Two veterans of the tour face off in another 1st round match as Shenzhen runner-up Guillermo Garcia-Lopez faces the big serving Ivo Karlovic in the 2nd match on Moon Court. Both men will be comfortable, with Garcia-Lopez having a strong tournament in Shenzhen and Karlovic having a strong year in general. Incredibly the two haven’t played since 2007 (Garcia-Lopez leads the head to head 2-1) though it will be interesting to see how well Garcia-Lopez has recovered from Shenzhen. It should be tight, though I think Karlovic should have too much power for the Spaniard.

Prediction: Karlovic in 3

Vasek Pospisil vs Rafael Nadal

An interesting 2nd round match ends action on the National Tennis Stadium as Vasek Pospisil takes on 3rd seed Rafael Nadal. Pospisil had work hard to beat Victor Estrella Burgos in the 1st round, but has had a decent year and could trouble Nadal with his big serve and powerful ground strokes. Nadal won his 1st round match in straight sets, against Wu Di, though didn’t play particularly well and will need to improve against Pospisil. This should be a tight match, with lots of long rallies and it will not be easy for either of them. Nadal should come through this, though Pospisil should also not make it easy for him.

Prediction: Nadal in 3

Also in action

4th seed David Ferrer could have a tricky 2nd round match against Lukas Rosol, whilst Yen-Hsun Lu takes on Viktor Troicki and Andreas Haider-Maurer faces Jack Sock.

2015 US Open- Day 5 Men’s Picks

There are many interesting 3rd round matches taking place today, with many big names in action- here are three of my predictions!

Jeremy Chardy vs David Ferrer

7th seed David Ferrer has an extremely difficult 3rd round match as he faces the in-form 27th seed Jeremy Chardy. Ferrer hasn’t been entirely convincing against Radu Albot and Filip Krajinovic, and is certainly lacking match practice following a month out due to injury. Chardy has been slightly more impressive, edging past Ryan Shane in 4 sets but then eased past Martin Klizan is surprisingly simple fashion. Chardy has been in good form recently, reaching the semi-finals in Montreal, and has a great opportunity to upset Ferrer here. The Spaniard will fight, as usual, but it seems Chardy could edge this one.

Prediction: Chardy in 5

Milos Raonic vs Feliciano Lopez

There will be a lot of aces in this one as the 10th seed Milos Raonic faces 18th seed Feliciano Lopez. Raonic and Lopez both won their openers in straight sets, against Tim Smyczek and Nikoloz Basilashvili respectively, but were made to work harder on Wednesday as Raonic was pushed to 4 sets by Fernando Verdasco and Lopez had to go to 5 sets against Mardy Fish. Lopez has been in better form overall recently but had a really poor run of form during the clay and grass season, whilst Raonic has had a year affected by injuries. It should be tight, but it seems the more consistent form of Raonic should edge this.

Prediction: Raonic in 5

Fabio Fognini vs Rafael Nadal

There is an intriguing match on Ashe tonight as 32nd seed Fabio Fognini faces 8th seed Rafael Nadal. Both men have had similar roads so far- Fognini saw off Steve Johnson in 4 sets before seeing off Pablo Cuevas in 3, whilst Nadal saw off Borna Coric in 4 sets before beating Diego Schwartzman in 3- so it could be a close battle. However Fognini’s wins so far here are his only hard court wins of the year, and whilst Nadal hasn’t had his best season Fognini has also struggled. Nadal should comfortably win this, though if his level isn’t great Fognini could take a set.

Prediction: Nadal in 3

Also in action

Defending champion Marin Cilic plays Mikhail Kukushkin, whilst 1st seed Novak Djokovic faces 25th seed Andreas Seppi. Other players in action include Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tommy Robredo and David Goffin.

2015 US Open- Day 1 Men’s Picks

The last major of the year is here, and there are already some very interesting matches taking place. It should be an extremely exciting day- here are three of my predictions!

Milos Raonic vs Tim Smyczek

Milos Raonic will not have the easiest opening match as he faces home favourite Tim Smyczek. Raonic has only reached one final this year, in Brisbane in January, and has been dogged by injury problems- he had to withdraw from the French Open. He also hasn’t been in great form recently, losing early in Montreal and Cincinnati, and could be vulnerable early on here. Smyczek had a very high profile match against Rafael Nadal at the Australian, pushing the Spaniards to 5 sets, but hasn’t really been able to build on that result and it seems unlikely that he’ll be able to beat Raonic. However with the Canadian not near his best, Smyczek should make the 10th seed work hard for victory.

Prediction: Raonic in 4

Borna Coric vs Rafael Nadal

8th seed Rafael Nadal hasn’t been in great form this year and has a nightmare opening match here as he faces rising star Borna Coric, who is unlucky to be unseeded and won the only previous meeting between the two. Ranked 33rd, Coric has had a pretty consistent year and backed up his win over Nadal last year with a victory over Andy Murray earlier in the year. However, like most young players, Coric can be erratic and will probably have to be near his best to have a chance of beating Nadal, even in Nadal’s current form. The Spaniard doesn’t seem as physically strong as he used and is certainly vulnerable today, and Coric will be confident after his straight sets win over Nadal in Basel last year. The experience of Nadal should edge this one, though it shouldn’t be easy.

Prediction: Nadal in 5

Kei Nishikori vs Benoit Paire

Kei Nishikori is another one of the top seeds to have a tricky 1st round match as he faces the talented Benoit Paire later today. Paire had a poor 2014, but won his 1st title in Gstaad and is just outside the world’s top 40. The Frenchman is certainly talented and with Nishikori seemingly not fully fit (He withdrew from Cincinnati), Paire could potentially have an opportunity to cause an upset here. However Nishikori has won both their previous meetings and with final points to defend from last year, he will be determined to get off to a good start. Having won three titles this year, Nishikori should have the confidence and the skill to see this match off. However Paire has the potential to make this a very difficult match.

Prediction: Nishikori in 4

Also in action

Top seed Novak Djokovic starts his campaign against Joao Souza, whilst defending champion and 9th seed Marin Cilic faces qualifier Guido Pella in his first match. 7th David Ferrer returns from injury against Radu Albot whilst the other seeds playing are Andreas Seppi, Roberto Bautista Agut, David Goffin, Feliciano Lopez, Fabio Fognini, Tommy Robredo, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gael Monfils, Grigor Dimitrov and Jeremy Chardy. There is also a battle between two veterans, as Fernando Verdasco takes on Tommy Haas.