Fabio Fognini vs Rafael Nadal – Second Round – Preview & Prediction | 2022 US Open
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THE FACTS
When is Fabio Fognini vs Rafael Nadal on and what time does it start? Fabio Fognini vs Rafael Nadal will take place on Friday 2nd September, 2022 – not before 01:15 (UK)
Where is Fabio Fognini vs Rafael Nadal taking place? Fabio Fognini vs Rafael Nadal will take place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, USA
What surface is Fabio Fognini vs Rafael Nadal being played on? Fabio Fognini vs Rafael Nadal will take place on an outdoor hard court
Where can I get tickets for Fabio Fognini vs Rafael Nadal? Visit this link for the latest ticket information for Fabio Fognini vs Rafael Nadal
What channel is Fabio Fognini vs Rafael Nadal on in the UK? Fabio Fognini vs Rafael Nadal will be televised live on the Amazon Prime Video app on Smart TVs
Where can I stream Fabio Fognini vs Rafael Nadal in the UK? Amazon Prime subscribers can stream Fabio Fognini vs Rafael Nadal live on Prime Video
THE PREDICTION
Three-time US Open champion Rafael Nadal is in effect defending his most recent title in New York having missed the last two editions since his victory here in 2019. The 36-year-old started off shakily on Tuesday, having to come back from a set down to Aussie wildcard Rinky Hijikata, but given his lack of recent matches that should not suggest anything like a crisis. Nadal broke the Men’s Singles record at the Australian Open and then extended it to 22 Grand Slam titles after winning his 14th at Roland-Garros. The lack of Novak Djokovic at the US Open will be an extra motivation for the Spaniard, no matter what he says in press about not caring about the record, and he only really has three genuine contenders here in defending champion Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz and in-form Nick Kyrgios.
All that being said, former world number nine Fabio Fognini grabbed one of the best wins of his career against Nadal here back in 2015 in a five-set thriller and he has a decent record against one of the greats, trailing as he does 13-4 in their head-to-head record. 35-year-old Fognini impressively fought back from two sets down to beat Aslan Karatsev in an intense opener that may fine-tune the Italian as much as it potentially tires him out but four sets seem likelier than three here with his ego amping him up for blockbuster matches like this. The suitably cautious pick here is for Nadal to win outright.
