The kind of match you want to avoid at all costs.

I don’t know about you, but I feel like this type of matchup is where you can really crash and burn in these pre–Grand Slam tournaments, with uncertainty on both sides. But it also means that if you aim right, there are some great odds to go after.

Majchrzak is back from a knee injury that had kept him off the courts since Marrakech. In my opinion, it’s an injury he’s been carrying since the hard-court season, and he’s finally taken the time to treat it. This is still a comeback match for him, but as we know, the early rounds of a comeback are often good, before playing worse in the later rounds because of the lack of rhythm.

I think the Pole will be good this week, and he’s a smart guy who knows how to play on clay. I’d be wary of him. I’d also add that in terms of match-up, what bothers him is guys who can serve well, attack well, and take away his time to set up his game. Working well against a clay-courter is not something that scares him. On the contrary, I like the match-up because he can tactically implement his game and dictate.

On our friend Carabelli’s side, there are a few uncertainties as well, since he’s not in great form and just withdrew from doubles in Valencia due to a hip injury. I don’t know if that’s an excuse to pull out of the tournament, but before that he lost 6-1 6-1 to Kecmanovic, which is pretty one-sided. I don’t have any information regarding his physical condition for this match. If he was really hampered, then we could lay him hard, but I don’t have that info.

Barring injury, I was quite disappointed with his match in Rome, and in Valencia it didn’t look exceptional in the second round either. I saw him in the first round, but Berrettini was even worse than him. It wasn’t an exceptional win. I still get the feeling he’s not playing his best tennis at the moment.