Rafael Nadal is marching on at the 2024 Brisbane International, but what will happen when he faces Australian Jordan Thompson in front of his crowd?
The Spaniard has been absolutely stunning in his comeback, winning matches comfortably. His first match back was an impressive showing against Dominic Thiem who right now is not playing at his best level.
After that, the Spaniard took on Jason Kubler, who was supported by the home crowd. Even so, the Australian was no match for Nadal who beat him in two sets as well.
Up next will be another Aussie, Jordan Thompson, who will certainly give it his all to end this run of the Spaniard, and the crowd will once again support him to do it.
Head-to-head:
Nadal and Thompson played two times so far on the ATP Tour and interestingly enough, both matches happened in Paris. The first one in 2020 happened at the Paris Masters, and Nadal won 6-1 7-6(3).
The second one, in 2022, happened at Roland Garros, and Nadal won once more. Once again, Thompson failed to win a set as the Spaniard cruised 6-2 6-2 6-2.
This upcoming one will be the best chance the Aussie has had to beat him, and there are several reasons why.
Prediction:
The obvious one is that Nadal just got back into tennis, and he is rusty. He might not look rusty, but he can certainly be pushed, as Thiem demonstrated in his match.
The first set of that one was pretty close, so Thompson will have some chances. Whether he actually uses them remains to be seen, as he's quite a streaky player.
He can be amazing and generally does really well in Australia, but if he doesn't show his best, he'll be crushed by Nadal. All things considered, Nadal should be able to get it done, as he's looked really good.
Prediction: Rafael Nadal to win in two sets.
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