Rafael Nadal won his first match at the 2024 Italian Open against Zizou Bergs, and he will hope to continue that against Hubert Hurkacz.
After winning a couple of matches at the Madrid Open, Nadal also won his first match at the Italian Open. He faced Bergs in the first round of the ATP Masters 1000 event and beat him, even though he needed three sets because the Belgian played a pretty good match.
Hurkacz hasn't played any matches in Rome so far this year, but he's looked really solid on the clay recently. He won the Estoril Open and played well at other events as well, so he certainly won't be an easy out.
Hurkacz hasn't generally played that well in Rome, and it's easy to understand why. He's not a natural fit on clay but can play well, depending on the conditions. Nadal has all the tools he needs to win this match, but will he actually?
It's tricky to predict because we never saw them play against each other. That's quite interesting because Hurkacz has been around even before Nadal started to struggle in recent years.
Due to his movement, the 37-year-old should have an advantage in most rallies, though. Obviously, Hurkacz will rely on the serve, but it's not as potent in Rome as it was in Estoril or as it can be in Madrid.
| Rafael Nadal | Hubert Hurkacz | |
| 0 | H2H | 0 |
| 305 | Rank | 9 |
| 37 | Age | 27 |
| 7-3 | 2024 W/L | 23-10 |
| 1075-223 | Career W/L | 193-133 |
I'm going to side with Nadal in this match mostly because I think he's got enough to win the matchup. It's a risky pick because his first match in the Italian wasn't perfect by any means, but I think he'll be able to move Hurkacz around enough to win the match.
Nadal could lose of course but I just think he'll find a way to win the match.
Prediction: Rafael Nadal to win in two sets.