Too damn annoying even for Martinez?

JM Cerundolo is hell to play against in these conditions, Martinez will have to be patient and not tilt..

The Spaniard already did it here in 2020! A 7/5 6/0 win, but JM Cerundolo has improved a lot since then, he’s put on muscle and does everything a bit better. He won’t change his style, but he serves a bit better and he’s capable of doing some things offensively; his recent form is also better than Martinez’s, so naturally he’s seen as the favorite, especially at home. He just handed out 2 and 2 to Altmaier playing really well, though to be fair the guy on the other side wasn’t great… I’m still a bit torn on JM because he usually starts well and then has a real dip in his matches, or maybe it’s his opponents who adapt to his game? In any case, he rarely plays a full, consistent match. I see Martinez as a guy who can come in and break up the rhythm with slices, drop shots, and a fairly decent net game; he still has a few options, on top of being able to stay solid and consistent from the baseline.

His current momentum isn’t good, but this return to clay could help him; he’s defending last year’s semifinal and he hasn’t forgotten how to play tennis either. JM Cerundolo is definitely a real pain to play against, but he’s not the kind of guy who smothers you with a crazy pace and stops you from existing in the match either. I still see a high probability that it’ll be tight and go on for a while. Still, be careful with Martinez live, because when he lets go, he really lets go and can completely throw away the end of a match.