Need a psychologist urgently

We’ve got two champions of losing it: Rublev is more of a madman who can explode at any moment, and Cerundolo is more subtle but just as fragile now. They’re going to yell, lose their temper, and really go at each other.

So, so, this one’s not easy! I’ll start with Rublev, who hasn’t been brilliant at the start of this tournament (especially in the second round), but he’s winning his matches and slowly building confidence. A gradual rise in form is possible/likely BUT if I judge only by the start of the tournament, I’m still not convinced. Cerundolo looks much better in comparison, not a single set dropped and a real sense of domination over his opponents, with almost no lapses in his matches, which is rare enough to be worth pointing out! The Argentinian is capable of playing top-level tennis on hard courts, he’s already proved that in the past and remains a serious dark horse when he’s fully switched on.

We’ve got 4 head-to-heads to look at, but most of their matches were on clay and Cerundolo leads 3–1. That doesn’t really surprise me, because a good Cerundolo is exactly the kind of player Rublev hates facing: a good returner, solid from the baseline, and able to maintain his intensity, ESPECIALLY on the forehand side. I’d add that the Argentinian has pretty good touch on drop shots and can catch you off guard with that shot. I still give the edge in terms of “consistency” to Rublev, who can play excellent tennis for several hours, whereas Cerundolo’s level fluctuates a bit more. I’m expecting a very tight, hard-fought match; this could go in absolutely any direction.