MATCH OF THE DAY

Or rather, match of the night, since we have this superb match-up in this night session.

What an exciting match for any tennis fan, we’ve got two of the biggest talents on tour facing off in a crazy atmosphere for this M1000! Jodar is absolutely on fire, the guy is handing out beatdowns to everyone and playing the tennis of his life with insane confidence for someone so inexperienced. You can really feel the impact of his recent winning streak, he’s capitalizing on it and staying on course with ultra-powerful, aggressive tennis – ring a bell? Yep, you can compare him to Fonseca, who also burst onto the scene with ridiculous power for his age and still seems ahead, but for how long? Because Jodar is already 42nd in the world and based on his recent performances, he’s nowhere near done.

Fonseca’s had a few physical issues that slowed him down a bit, and he’s still a top player in the making, but he’s not as in rhythm and in the same vibe as Jodar right now. The Brazilian is basically making his debut in Madrid tomorrow since he benefited from Cilic’s withdrawal to reach R3 without playing. No doubt he can do damage with his power in Madrid, but he also has to manage to control himself given how much the ball flies there. We know him, he’s capable of being really messy for a whole set trying to play like a top 5, hitting everything without tightening up his game before finally adjusting. So I’m wary about the start for Fonseca. In terms of the match-up, it’s really an ego battle: they’ll both want to take the initiative and dictate the points. Can Jodar match Fonseca’s power while moving a bit better? Beyond that, I’m struggling to pick a side because we’ve got two players capable of reaching an exceptional level, but with high-risk games.