Rafa at Rome

Rafa is immortal, isn't he? Okay, we agree then. End of analysis 😅

Well, let's be clear: we have never had Nadal be so optimistic in his statements, so convincing in his training... and so unconvincing during his R1 😅. Still, the human brain is rubbish when you think about it for 30 seconds. Personally, I only see good things in Rafa. First, he showed no signs of injury or physical decline. Certainly, he is much slower than before, but his problem against Zizou Bergs was indeed his tennis level (and in mirror image, the super level of Zizou, world champion!). Nothing catastrophic eh. And so I think it can only get better. Especially since Rafa will have no choice against Hubbie. Exactly the same as against De Minaur in Madrid: he will have to play his best tennis at the moment, otherwise, it won't work. So I'm rather optimistic about his level of play in this match. Opposite, Hubbie has proven to be a good clay player since his victory at Estoril. He continued rather well in Monte-Carlo and Madrid, notably with a stratospheric level against Draper, but he collapsed (once again) against Fritz. I say again because the Pole has accustomed us to disappointing against the top players. Already at the start of the year, he played on fire and when he met a big fish like Zverev, he was better tennis-wise but lacked that killer side. I would also like to remind you that it is not because he won Estoril that he has become a clay player either. Putting everything together, I think the odds should be reversed and therefore Nadal should be a very slight favorite. Also note that historically, Nadal has very often succeeded against the big servers: his vision, his mischief and his mentality in the important points. It’s reassuring all the same!