Spain will begin its bid to make a return trip to the ATP Cup final when they meet Australia on Tuesday in Melbourne. Rafael Nadal is going up against Alex de Minaur, while Roberto Bautista Agut faces familiar foe Roberto Bautista Agut.
(ESP) Rafael Nadal vs. (AUS) Alex de Minaur
Nadal is coming off another successful–albeit abbreviated–season in which he tied Roger Federer atop the all-time Grand Slam singles title list with 20 by triumphing at the French Open for the 13th time in his career. Now he gets things started in 2021 in Australia, where has won the Aussie Open only once but generally plays well thanks to being healthy at the conclusion of offseasons. The second-ranked Spaniard finished runner-up to Novak Djokovic at the year’s first slam in 2019 and last season he led his country to the final of the ATP Cup (lost Djokovic and Serbia).
Up first for the 34-year-old on Tuesday is de Minaur, who won a season-opening title in Antalya–the fourth of his career and first since 2019. The 23-year-old Aussie always plays inspired tennis for his country, but he is 0-3 lifetime against Nadal and 1-8 in total sets. This is a tough matchup for the underdog, who loves to play right on top of the baseline–something that isn’t easy to do against Nadal unless you are someone like Djokovic, Kei Nishikori, or Nikolay Davydenko in their primes.
Pick: Nadal in 2
(ESP) Roberto Bautista Agut vs. (AUS) John Millman
Bautista Agut and Millman will be squaring off for the seventh time in their careers on Tuesday. The head-to-head stands at a dominant 5-1 in favor of Bautista Agut, who has won all five of their main-tour encounters. However, three have required deciding sets–including one five-setter–and only one has ended in straights. In other words, Millman is capable of being competitive. The world No. 38 also has the benefit of living in Australia and therefore avoiding quarantine. Additionally, he should be confident after ending 2020 with his first ATP title in Nur-Sultan and a quarterfinal performance in Sofia.
This has all the makings of a high-quality contest. Bautista Agut is ranked 13th and always plays well for his country. The 32-year-old helped Spain win the 2019 Davis Cup and he compiled an incredible 6-0 record at the 2020 ATP Cup without dropping a single set.
Pick: Bautista Agut in 3
WWW?
De Minaur in 3
Vamos Rafa, Rafa to win the match. RBA to win his too.
Rafa has pulled out due to stuff lower back ..season has not even started and injury (:-
Vamos Spain!
Rafa’s team came through for him! Really hope his back is not too bad. PCB beat Millman in 2 sets. RBA lost the first set to The Demon, but won the next two and PCB and Granollers even won the doubles for good measure! 🙂
Maybe Rafa can call up his good friend Roger and get some tips on playing with a bad back – and give some on playing with achy knees.
Rafa in 2; RBA in 2.