Rafael Nadal will kick of his Madrid campaign when second-round action wraps up on Wednesday. Nadal is getting things started against Gael Monfils, while Juan Martin Del Potro is going up against Damir Dzumhur on Tuesday.
(1) Rafael Nadal vs. Gael Monfils
Nadal is taking a 12-match winning streak with him into the Mutua Madrid Open and he has won a ridiculous 46 consecutive clay-court sets dating back to last season. The world No. 1 recently captured his 11th tournament titles in both Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, and he is now bidding for his sixth Madrid winner’s trophy. Despite the heavy workload on clay, Nadal should be well-rested because he obviously skipped last week, missed most of the hard-court swing due to a hip problem, and has been positively cruising on the slow stuff. So far this season on this surface, only Martin Klizan has even taken five games in a set (Barcelona third round).
Up first for Nadal on Wednesday is a 16th career meeting with Monfils, who trails the head-to-head series 13-2. Unsurprisingly, the Spaniard is a perfect 5-0 on clay and 10-1 in total sets during those five matches. There is no reason to think anything will change on Wednesday, because Monfils has been inactive of late due to recurring physical problems. The 41st-ranked Frenchman is a respectable 14-7 in 2018 with a title in Doha, but he did not play in between Indian Wells and Munich–where he lost right away last week to Mirza Basic in three sets. Monfils scraped past Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 on Monday, but nothing suggests he is ready for Nadal.
Pick: Nadal in 2 losing 5-7 games
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(4) Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Damir Dzumhur
Nobody who has taken part in this clay-court stretch has been able to challenge Nadal. It is unlikely that anyone ever will, but Del Potro is finally back in action and perhaps ready to give it a try. The sixth-ranked Argentine, who has not taken the match court since a semifinal appearance in Miami, would have to reach the Madrid semis in order to get a shot at the No. 1 seed. He has advanced at least that far in four of six tournaments this season, with titles in Acapulco and Indian Wells to go along with a runner-up performance in Auckland.
Del Potro will begin his week on Wednesday against Dzumhur, who lost their only previous meeting 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3 last year in Delray Beach. The world No. 32 from Bosnia and Herzegovina has cooled off this season on the heels of a stellar 2017 campaign, to the extent that his record stands at a mere 10-13. Dzumhur is still a horrendous 1-6 in his last seven tournament matches after beating Julien Benneteau 6-4, 6-2 in the Madrid opening round. Del Potro should have no trouble blasting a struggling opponent right off the court in these relatively fast conditions.
Pick: Del Potro in 2
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