Madrid R2 previews and picks: Nadal vs. Johnson, Nishikori vs. Goffin

Rafael Nadal will begin his bid for a Madrid three-peat when he takes the court on Wednesday against Steve Johnson. Kei Nishikori and David Goffin are also in second-round action.

(3) Rafael Nadal vs. Steve Johnson

With the French Open three weeks away, Nadal’s urgency to emerge from a season-long slump will reach new heights when he contests his opening match at the Madrid Masters on Wednesday. Nadal is just 19-7 for his 2015 campaign and has only one final appearance (won Buenos Aires) in eight tournaments. So far on clay, the fourth-ranked Spaniard has losses to Novak Djokovic (Monte-Carlo semifinals) and Fabio Fognini (Barcelona third round). If there is any good news for Nadal, it is that he has captured the Madrid title on back-to-back occasions after failing to do so in both 2011 and 2012.

Up first for Nadal is Johnson, whom the Spaniard has never faced. Johnson owns 14 of his 40 career ATP-level match victories already this season after outlasting Alejandro Gonzalez 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) on Monday. The 54th-ranked American is coming off a second-round Houston setback against Sam Querrey and an opening loss in Monte-Carlo to John Isner. He would much prefer to contest this one on a hard court, but the relatively fast conditions in Madrid will at least help him be competitive.

Pick: Nadal in 2 losing 8-10 games

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David Goffin vs. (4) Kei Nishikori

Nishikori and Goffin will be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers and for the second time this spring when they do battle on Wednesday in Madrid. They just squared off last month on the hard courts of Miami, where Nishikori rolled 6-1, 6-2. Goffin almost failed to get another shot in this matchup, but he managed to prevent the unexpected by fighting past Ernests Gulbis 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 on Monday. The 21st-ranked Belgian is just 10-9 on the year, but he has won six of his last nine matches.

There is nothing not to like about Nishikori’s prospects in Madrid. The Japanese star finished runner-up at this event last spring and seemed to be on his way to the title until an injury forced him to retire in the third set against Nadal. Still in outstanding form after a breakout 2014, Nishikori is 26-5 this season with a pair of titles–one in Barcelona two weeks ago. Goffin should at least win more games than he did in Miami, but the world No. 5 is simply too good right now.

Pick: Nishikori in 2

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