So, who will win? The head-to-head suggests that Nadal enjoys this match-up greatly, and it is difficult to bet against Nadal considering how well he has played. He has now won 30 of his last 31 matches (the ATP doesn’t count walkovers), including the French Open, US Open and two Masters 1000 events.
However, despite the head to head, Zverev theoretically seems to match up very nicely against Nadal. His height and supreme backhand mitigate most of the effects of Nadal’s heavy topspin and swinging lefty serve. Indeed, Zverev has actually acquitted himself pretty well in their meetings, with both of their meetings on hard court going to a deciding set. He really should have won their last meeting when he led by a break in the final set of last year’s Rome final. Having the ability to defeat Nadal is only half of the battle.
There will be no better opportunity to face Nadal than on these fast indoor hardcourts as he tentatively attempts to recover from injury. Then again, this is Rafael Nadal. Even at his worst, a battle with the 19 time grand slam champion is a horrible prospect for all.
Preamble
Hello! Welcome to day two of our coverage from the ATP finals at the O2 Arena in London. Earlier today, Stefanos Tsitsipas finally made his mark on his bitter rivalry with Daniil Medvedev, winning 7-6(5) 6-4 to score his first win in six tries.
Now, we turn to the one question that dominated the build-up to this tournament: will Rafael Nadal be ready? After a small abdominal tear forced him out of the semi-finals in Paris a couple of weeks ago, Nadal didn’t start serving again until late last week. He has improved with each passing day in practice this week and, by all accounts, he looked comfortable in his final session earlier today.
If Nadal is healthy, he arrives in London as the player of the year so far, a fact confirmed by his return to the top of the rankings this week. He will certainly take strength from how well he has fared in previous battles against Zverev. He holds a 5-0 record against the German, including two wins on hard courts.
This has been a tough, tough year for Zverev, but his legal dispute with his agent has finally been contained and he has played very well in the final months of this year. The fact that the 22 year-old has made it to London after such a turbulent year speaks volumes of his ability. The defending champion will not relinquish his title without a fight.
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