Predictor Picks: Why Nadal is a no-brainer selection in Bastad
Although Wimbledon is approaching its end, the action never stops on the ATP Tour. Next week there will be four tournaments, including an ATP 500 (Hamburg Open) and three ATP 250 events (Nordea Open, EFG Swiss Open Gstaad and Infosys Hall of Fame Open).
There will be plenty of stars in action, including Rafael Nadal, Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Who could be good choices for your team in the PIF ATP Rankings Predictor? ATPTour.com takes a look at three players to consider.
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[ATP APP]Rafael Nadal — defending 0 points
If Nadal enters any tournament without points to defend, he will always be a good player to select. The Spaniard has won 82.7 per cent of his career tour-level matches according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index and will try to improve his record this week in Bastad.
Nadal has competed in Bastad on three previous occasions, winning the title on his most recent appearance in 2005. That edition, the lefty defeated four players who would reach the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings — Juan Monaco, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Tommy Robredo and Tomas Berdych — en route to the trophy. Nineteen years later, he will open his tournament against Leo Borg, the son of legendary Swede Bjorn Borg.
Stefanos Tsitsipas — replacing 15 points
Tsitsipas suffered a surprise second-round loss at Wimbledon to Emil Ruusuvuori, and will be keen to return to form this week on the clay of Gstaad. The top seed will begin the ATP 250 event against 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF Hamad Medjedovic or Marc-Andrea Huesler.
The Greek star has won five of his 11 ATP Tour titles on clay, including both of his ATP Masters 1000 trophies (in Monte-Carlo). One of those Masters 1000 triumphs in the Principality came earlier this year.
Arthur Fils — replacing 25 points
One year ago, Fils made the Hamburg semi-finals. It remains his only semi-final at an ATP 500 event. The Frenchman will hope his happy memories of that run help him this week at the German tournament. The last time Fils was in Hamburg, he defeated Casper Ruud for the loss of just four games.
The first-placed player in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah is in good form, having advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon. The fifth seed will begin his tournament in Hamburg against Jaume Munar.
Bonus Ball — Rafael Nadal
With no points to defend this week, Nadal has plenty to gain and by placing your Bonus Ball on the Spaniard, you can double those points. The 38-year-old did not compete on grass and has continued his training on clay. So while players will need to regain their clay footing, Nadal will be ready to go.
The former World No. 1 lost in the first round at Roland Garros to Zverev in a tight three-setter, but showed some of his best tennis of the year. Zverev went on to the final and was close to lifting his first major trophy, showing how high Nadal’s level was to challenge him. The 63-time tour-level clay-court titlist will try to bring even better tennis to the Bastad courts this week.
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