Watch out!

I think I’m like a lot of people here: Safiullin, who’s already beaten Carlito and showed a huge level at Wim, even managing to really bother Djoko, is obviously going to make the Spaniard wobble for his comeback, right? Carlito already tends to struggle to put guys away easily in general!

If we want to dig a bit deeper… Safiullin’s rise happened slowly. Coming back from injury this year in February, he played 8 Challengers to get back into it. Then he arrived at Roland already with the game we know he has. He lost to Ruud because of an injury, then toughened himself up again on grass all the way to Wim.

And now, here he is again. He doesn’t make too much noise, doesn’t win too many matches, but outdoor hard is by far his best surface.

On the other hand, at Roland as at Wim, he came through qualies with quite a few matches under his belt to dial himself in. He’s a guy who takes the ball early. When everything clicks, it’s monstrous. That’s the advantage of Carlito’s game: he lets you play a bit, unlike Sinner. And not only does he give you a bit of time to play, but in general, his game actually lets you raise your level. And let’s not forget the basics: a guy who goes right at Carlito, that’s what bothers him, especially in a first-round match after a break!