Alex De Minaur vs Rafael Nadal Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Mutua Madrid Open

Prediction published on 26/04/2024, 09:06  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 26/04/2024 at 10:06 in ATP Mutua Madrid Open Predictions

Alex de Minaur is seeded tenth for the Madrid Masters and takes on Rafael Nadal for a place in the last 32. The winner will take on either 20th seed Frances Tiafoe or unseeded Pedro Cachin in round three of this  The Australian has never made it past round two at Roland Garros, while his opponent has won the title there on 14 occasions. However, these two players met in Barcelona last week and it was de Minaur who won in straight sets.7-5 6-1. De Minaur is ranked 11th in the world and sixth in the ATP Live Race. Those high positions have been achieved by his record on hard courts and grass rather than clay. He went on to lose in the last 16 in Barcelona being beaten by Arthur FIls. He has reached the third round in Madrid in two of the past three years.

Rafael Nadal is on the comeback trail after yet another injury. He only dropped one game in beating 16-year-old Darwin Blanch in the first round of this tournament. That win took him up to 421st in the live rankings but that most likely doesn't concern the Spaniard at this stage of his career. His aim at present is to play as many matches as he can and stay fit.  A final appearance at Roland Garros is his main target but he wants to be able to compete. We didn't learn much from his win over Blanch, this will be a lot more informative. De Minaur beat him last week and should be able to win again but it might be a bit closer than it was in the second set they played.