Tennis News

Following a tumultuous first quarter of the season on hard courts, where he was forced to gradually make his way back from a surgery and a spell on the sidelines, world No. 1 Rafael Nadal braces himself for the start of the clay court portion of the season when he steps onto the courts in Monte Carlo to begin his campaign at the Masters 1000 event. His opening match will be against France’s Lucas Pouille, whom he has never faced previously on the tour.

Watch the match live here: Nadal vs Pouille Live Stream

Several weeks ago, the world No. 4’s campaign for his first Miami Open title was put on hold for another year, as the Spaniard crashed out of the third round of the tournament with a loss to Fernando Verdasco. It was a timid performance from Nadal, who rallied from a set down to level the match and force a decider. However, he was unable to stop his fellow countryman from breaking serve in the final set to close out the match 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.

While Nadal will always remain the favourite on clay, at least in the eyes of the fans, he insists that he is playing this year’s event with no pressure and should not be expected to trump the competition while he still looking to regain his confidence.

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“The most important thing for me is to feel well on court again, feel confident, feel I am improving,” he said. “I was improving every week before Miami, and in Miami I played bad… If I’m able to find the confidence, to find the tennis here on clay, then it makes everything a little less difficult.

“I am working to be playing well as soon as possible, and if I didn’t believe that I could, I would not be here… If I am here it’s because I have the motivation, the passion, the emotion to keep playing tennis.”

The Spaniard will begin his campaign against Lucas Pouille, the French wildcard who ousted Dominic Thiem in a surprisingly straightforward 6-4, 6-4 win to reach the second round of the tournament.

This is set to the be the first time that Nadal and Pouille will meet on the ATP World Tour, with Nadal set to be the favourite for the match. Although he is mentally shaky, a few showings on the clay should get him back into focus for the pivotal portion of the season to come.

Prediction: Rafael Nadal in Straight Sets

On Tuesday afternoon, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic extended his win streak on the ATP World Tour to 13th consecutive victories to advance to the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters. He will next encounter Andreas Haider-Maurer, whom he has never faced previously on the tour.

Watch the match live here: Djokovic vs Haider-Maurer Live Stream

Although he did lose his serve once in the match, Novak Djokovic still managed to put on a near flawless showing in his first clay court match of the year on the professional tour. He needed 86 minutes to get past Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-1, 6-4.

“I felt very good,” said Djokovic. “I thought, considering the amount of months that I haven’t played on the clay courts, to play against somebody that is a clay-court specialist, and win in two sets, I thought it was a very good performance. I can just take positives from today.

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“Of course, the fact that I’m playing at home, in a way, because I spend a lot of time in Monte Carlo, I practise in this club over the course of 12 months, hard courts, clay courts, I know people who are doing the courts, friends with them – it really is a different and very special feeling. So I’m trying to enjoy it and see how far I can go.”

The Serbian star’s next opponent is Andreas Haider-Maurer, who upset resurgent Aussie Bernard Tomic 6-7(4),7-6(5), 7-5 in less than three hours. It was an impressive performance and could serve as a confidence booster when he crosses paths with the tournament’s top seed.

This marks the first time that Djokovic and Andreas will cross paths on the professional tour, and should make for a routine performance from the visibly peaking Djokovic. The world No. 1 on the ATP World Tour is in fantastic form and nearly unstoppable on the circuit this year. Either that sets us up for a lopsided win or an unheralded upset.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic in Straight Sets

Following a thrilling, albeit gruelling opening round match on the red clay, Grigor Dimitrov is through to the second round in Monte Carlo, where he will encounter Italy’s Fabio Fognini. This marks the third time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with the head-to-head series tied at 1-1.

Follow the match live here: Dimitrov vs Fognini Live Stream

In arguably the most entertaining match on Tuesday, Dimitrov needed three sets to get past Spanish adversary Fernando Verdasco to advance to the second round in Monte Carlo. He saved 15 of 17 break points to secure the 6-4,4-6,6-4 victory in two hours and 27 minutes.

“It’s never easy, especially in the first match, having an opponent like that,“ said Dimitrov. “Verdasco is known for his strength, especially on a clay court. I’m really happy with the win because it shows that I’ve done something right in the days coming into the tournament.“

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His opponent, Fabio Fognini had a much easier route to the second round in Monte Carlo, as he defeated Jerzy Janowicz in straight sets 6-3,6-1. He struck five aces, won 75% of his first service points and saved four break points en route to the 57 min win.

This is just the third time that Dimitrov and Fognini will meet on the professional tour, with the series tied at 1-1. The Italian is more comfortable on the clay courts but it is difficult to predict whether he will be able to put away the young Bulgarian. Both their previous meetings on the tour took place on hard courts back in 2013. Fognini won the first match in Sydney, while Grigor avenged the loss later in the season at the Paris Masters, which he won in three sets. The unknown variable in this match is the clay court surface — he who performs better on it tomorrow shall be proclaimed the victor.

Prediction: Grigor Dimitrov in Three Sets