Popcorn match 🍿

Two big showman waiters playing on earth in Madrid, what can that be apart from a spectacle?

Well, I'll be honest: this match stinks a bit for us punters 😅. On their previous tour, I saw 2 guys who were very diligent and willing to put out a great performance. Despite the fact that dirt is not their strong point, playing with the altitude of Madrid gives them each a great opportunity to shine in a Masters 1000. Shelton literally crushed Machac who was suffering from a clear power deficit. Bublik brought out one of the earthlings who had recently been in heat in the person of Baena. He got it out by serving well, and deconstructing his game with a lot of cushioning. The guy manages to make a good player look ridiculous. Baena has a lot of progress to make in the short game. Bublik is clearly less strong than Shelton on fast clay for me, and the American is coming off a good tournament in Houston. They played Rome in 2023, but Shelton wasn't playing very well at that time and Rome is much slower. The BIG thing that worries me about Shelton is that he sorely lacks playing intelligence sometimes. Choices in the short game, defense shots that are too tense on earth, volleys that are a little doubtful or not at the right time... His power and his overwhelming desire to win very often compensate for that, but I wonder if I I want to bet on this somewhat surprising match... Let's go see the odds! 👇