Careful, that’s the wrong McDonald’s!

I was also wondering what the hell he was doing there before the American swing! But no, what we’ve got here is Niels McDonald, a young German virgin. One meter ninety, right‑handed, two‑handed backhand, creates the game with a powerful forehand. He reached world No. 4 in ITF juniors and won the junior Roland Garros in 2025, causing an upset. So we’re not talking about just anyone on clay, but Federico on the other side still hits pretty damn hard!

Closely followed during Roland qualies, he showed a good level of tennis. He’s an imposing guy who blasts logs all over the place. The surface here will suit him a bit less than at Roland because it’s less lively and it’s hotter and heavier, which of course is Fede’s Achilles heel (his fitness). However, with his rest day and the qualifying matches in his legs, I trust him to go and rattle the youngster. I don’t think it’s easy to quickly find your bearings against an Argentine of this profile who’s also going to play at 300%, given the opportunity to earn precious points in an ATP 250.