Can he do it?

Night session on a Sunday evening in Rome on the center court. If there’s ever a moment, it’s now!

And with the confidence he’s built up thanks to his 7 wins in a row, 5 of them in three sets, why not!

And then, I wonder when our friend Rafael is going to slow down a bit there. Fifteen matches in a month for a guy who’s only just starting to play regularly on tour, that can start to take a toll. He’s coming off his first title on the main circuit in Marrakech, then two local tournaments, Barcelona and Madrid, where he played really well and had some intense matches. On the one hand, I feel like he’s physically unshakeable, on the other, I remember his tough match against Fonseca in Madrid, and I noticed a few drops in intensity here in Rome against Borges. I think his quality of serve really helped him, because Nuno Borges’ good counterpunching profile could have dragged it into three sets.

Against Arnaldi, you wonder if his steamroller-style tennis isn’t going to hit the mark once again. The Italian loves playing the defender who runs everywhere, but that could really give Jodar too much time. Better a counterpuncher than a defender.

So now… Jodar might be a bit tired. Slow conditions in a night session. An Italian who has absolutely nothing to lose. We’ll still go check the cuts ;).