2021 ATP Cup Group D – Rafael Nadal vs Stefanos Tsitsipas Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
Where is Rafael Nadal vs Stefanos Tsitsipas taking place? Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
When is Rafael Nadal vs Stefanos Tsitsipas on and what time does it start? Thursday 4th February, 2021 – Not before 08:00 (UK)
Where can I get tickets for Rafael Nadal vs Stefanos Tsitsipas? Visit this link for ticket information
What channel is Rafael Nadal vs Stefanos Tsitsipas on? This match will not be televised live in the UK
Where can I stream Rafael Nadal vs Stefanos Tsitsipas in the UK? Amazon Prime Video subscribers can stream the match live
THE LOWDOWN
RAFAEL NADAL
- Rafael Nadal pulled out of his first ATP Cup fixture against Alex de Minaur with a slight back problem but as of yet he is slated to make the second against Stefanos Tsitsipas here, with Roberto Bautista Agut waiting in the wings if not.
- The world number two won his 1000th tour match at last year’s Paris Masters before two semi-final losses in a row to Alexander Zverev (in Paris) and Daniil Medvedev at the ATP Finals.
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS
- Stefanos Tsitsipas grabbed the crucial first set against Australia’s speedster Alex de Minaur before fighting back to win the decider in a high-quality first match of the season for the 22-year-old.
- The world number five then went on to play a deciding doubles tie that went to a 10-point tiebreak by midnight in Melbourne and he could be feeling that come this third match in 24 hours.
THE PREDICTION
This is the most box-office tennis match of the new year between world number two Rafael Nadal and number five Stefanos Tsitsipas. It is worth holding off on this one until Nadal is confirmed to play, and that can be annoyingly last-minute at the ATP Cup, but if so the Spaniard’s first competitive match since last November looks set to be an enormous test. 22-year-old Tsitsipas looked good and assured against De Minaur in his first match here and he will know how to approach this eighth career meeting with the Spaniard. 34-year-old Nadal leads a healthy 6-1 head-to-head record over Tsitsipas, including a win over the Greek at the ATP Finals last November, but this is a real opportunity for the younger man with the much better practice in his legs here. Despite his efforts against Team Australia, fatigue is not a condition Tsitsipas knows the name of and so this one going to a deciding set looks a reasonable conclusion given Nadal’s lack of game time. It would be wise to leave it at that, perhaps picking at least one tiebreak in the clash, but a result could go either way and depends totally on how good Nadal is feeling.
At a push, Tsitsipas can edge this but Team Spain know they can still win the tie in the doubles decider and he may not be risked at all. If Tsitsipas ends up facing Roberto Bautista Agut, a three-set victory for the Greek seems the likeliest result there.
