Rome Masters 2021: Rafael Nadal vs Denis Shapovalov–Preview, Head to Head and Prediction for Italian Open

Rome Masters 2021: Rafael Nadal vs Denis Shapovalov–Preview, Head to Head and Prediction for Italian Open

Rafael Nadal and Denis Shapovalov

Rafael Nadal will face Denis Shapovalov in the Third round of the Rome Masters 2021. Nadal is currently the World no.3 on the ATP rankings and Shapovalov is the World no.14.  

Match Details

  • Tournament: ATP Rome Masters 1000
  • Match: Rafael Nadal vs Denis Shapovalov
  • Round: Third round 
  • Date: 13th May, 2021
  • Prize Money: € 28,200
  • Venue: Rome, Italy
  • Surface: Clay Court

Rafael Nadal vs Denis Shapovalov: Match Preview

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal is not looking as invincible on clay as he once did. Defeat against Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev, at Monte Carlo and Madrid, has given hope to the rest of the pack as well. Players now step on to the court believing that on a good day they can in fact breach the defenses of the Spanish Matador.

Nadal who was ousted in the Quarter Finals of the Madrid Open by Alexander Zverev, has started well in Rome. After a bye in the first round, he came up against local lad Jannik Sinner in the second round. But credit to Nadal he kept pushing the resisting Sinner down until the teenager gave up. On paper a straight sets 7-5 6-4 victory looks easy, but Sinner actually gave Nadal a good fight in the match. In the third round Nadal will go up against Canadian Denis Shapovalov.

FS Video

Shapovalov has not had the kind of results that he would have desired on clay thus far. He has faced early exits in practically all the tournaments on clay, in the last few weeks. In Rome, he beat Kamil Majchrzak from Poland in the first round, in the second he defeated Italian Stefano Travaglia 7-6 6-3. 

Rafael Nadal vs Denis Shapovalov: Head-to-Head

Denis Shapovalov
Denis Shapovalov

These two players have met four on the tour before, and the head to head stands at 2-2. The last time they met was in a Davis Cup tie, in 2019, which Nadal won 6-3 7-6.   

Rafael Nadal vs Denis Shapovalov: Prediction

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal

Having won the tournament nine times already, most recently in 2019, Nadal knows how to get the job done in Rome. Against Sinner, he won in two-hours 10-minutes to bring his record to 16-1 in his opening matches at Rome. Shapovalov, like Nadal, is a leftie, and will offer a different kind of challenge for Nadal. Nadal should win this match with energy to spare. 

Match Prediction: Rafael Nadal will beat Denis Shapovalov in straight sets. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91PZ9z1I4vo

Also Read: Rome Masters 2021: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Matteo Berrettini–Preview, Head to Head and Prediction for Italian Open