A dangerous Brazilian toilet?

Heide isn’t really known for shining in their home tournament, but…

He’s young and he’s improving well! For those who don’t know him, he’s a big 1.91m profile with a huge serve and a really heavy forehand, he’s not passive on court, he goes for his chances. In his first two appearances he didn’t show up at all, but last year he came close to taking out Comesana in a match dictated by the servers, there’s definitely progress, and more recently he got the best win of his career in Davis Cup since he beat Diallo on his home turf on indoor hard, incredible! I didn’t see the match but it confirms his progress, and I see that at the end of last season he won a Challenger steamrolling everyone, I think he’ll be hard to beat this time. He also qualified in doubles with his Brazilian partner, so let’s say some of the pressure is already off. Now he’s coming into a first round against Kopriva, who just had a great tournament in Buenos Aires, showing a really high level of play. Great flat hitting, smart game, mobile, he stands out with a completely different style.

They’ve already played once at altitude and the match was tight, plus the conditions there favored Heide, whereas here in Rio it’s slower, more humid, and less suitable for him. I see Heide as a dangerous wildcard you have to be wary of, but Kopriva really left a very good impression on me...