ATP Madrid Open 2021: Rafael Nadal vs Alexei Popyrin-Preview, Head to Head and Prediction

ATP Madrid Open 2021: Rafael Nadal vs Alexei Popyrin-Preview, Head to Head and Prediction

Rafael Nadal and Alexei Popyrin

Rafael Nadal will take on Alexei Popyrin in the third round of the Madrid Open 2021. Nadal is currently the World no.2 on the ATP rankings and Popyrin is the World no.76. 

Match Details

  • Tournament: ATP Madrid Open 2021
  • Match: Rafael Nadal vs Alexei Popyrin
  • Round: Third round
  • Date: 6th May, 2021
  • PrizeMoney: €36,400
  • Venue: Madrid, Spain 
  • Surface: Clay Court

Rafael Nadal vs Alexei Popyrin: Match Preview

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal had started his clay court leg of the year with a defeat in the Quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters. A three set defeat at the hands of Andrey Rublev, 2-6 6-4 2-6. But Nadal blocked the noise out and put on a show at the Barcelona Open. He did start a little unsteady there too, but by the end of the week he was back to his best. His Final win, over Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets 6-4 6-7 7-5, was a reminder that Nadal is back.

After a bye in the first round, the top seed was up against fellow Spaniard and Tennis prodigy Carlos Alcaraz Garfia in the second round. This highly anticipated match showed the world that there is still a huge gap between Nadal and the rest of the pack, on clay. And to be fair Carlos Alcaraz actually played well, but lost the match in straight sets 1-6 2-6, such was the dominance of Nadal. In the third round Nadal will be up against twenty one year old Australian Alexei Popyrin.

FS Video

Popyrin like Nick Kyrgios, Thanasi Kokkinakis or Mark Philippoussis before them is a Australian with Greek roots. And like the other Greek-Australians in tennis he too is tall(6 foot 5), and has a power based game. Popyrin who already has one title this season, Singapore Open, is playing well on clay. Here at the Madrid Open, he took out two players to qualify in the main draw. In the main draw, he beat Jan-Lennard Struff in the first round, and caused a huge upset by taking out rising tennis star Jannik Sinner in the second. He won the match against Sinner 7-6 6-2. 

YouTube video

Rafael Nadal vs Alexei Popyrin: Head-to-Head

Alexei Popyrin
Alexei Popyrin

These two players have not met on the tour yet, so the head to head is 0-0- for now. 

Rafael Nadal vs Alexei Popyrin: Prediction

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal

Nadal ,the king of clay, was devastating against Carlos Alcaraz. His power, his precision, his passing shots were all reminders of a vintage Rafael Nadal. He is definitely back to his best.

Popyrin on his day though can cause an upset. He is blessed with power, a terrific serve and a gun of a forehand, and this Aussie shouldn’t be taken lightly. It will be a good match to watch, but Nadal should win it with relative ease. 

Match Prediction: Rafael Nadal will beat Alexei Popyrin in straight sets. 

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