Rafael Nadal won his first match back, and he'll get a chance to try and do that again as he faces Jason Kubler at the 2024 Brisbane International.
Many wondered how Rafael Nadal would do in his first singles match, and he provided a pretty clear answer. A straight-sets win over Dominic Thiem leaves nobody in doubt that Nadal is back.
He played a competent match, which should give him confidence ahead of facing Jason Kubler, who can be a tricky player to play against.
Kubler himself started the year with a win, but it came against Aslan Karatsev, and by retirement, so it was a bit less impressive. Still, on native soil, counting out the Australian would be a huge mistake and Nadal is not one to do many of those.
Head-to-head:
Despite both of them being players for a long time, this will mark the first time they stand opposite one another on a tennis court.
It's an interesting matchup between two players who are not very similar in the way they play tennis, but both will enter this match believing they can win, which will make it very interesting.
Prediction:
Kubler is a typical Australian player in the way he approaches tennis. Good serves and has good baseline play with capable volleys. He has all that he needs to win this match, but he can be beaten quite easily.
Nadal should not worry about the matchup if he brings the same level. Due to his absence from the sport, consistency will likely be an issue for a while, so expect him to go up and down between matches.
Limiting unforced errors was crucial against Thiem and will be again in this one. If he does that, he'll win comfortably in two sets.
Prediction: Rafael Nadal to win in two sets.
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