Rafael Nadal will be in action again on Tuesday to the delight of his hometown crowd at the Madrid Masters. Nadall will face No. 30 seed Jiri Lehecka, while top seed Jannik Sinner battles Karen Khachanov.
(PR) Rafael Nadal vs. (30) Jiri Lehecka
The Spanish crowd has always shown their tennis hero Rafael Nadal a ferocious amount of support, but never has there been so much desperation. The 37-year-old, it seems, is playing his last year on the ATP tour–a victim of age and a body that no longer heals as it once did. He has delighted them this week. An upset win over Alex de Minaur in the second round set up a clash in the third with Pedro Cachin. Nadal was nervier than he has been all week, but he found his way through in three sets in a three-hour marathon.
Jiri Lehecka has had a good season in 2024, but he hasn’t played on clay until this week. Given Nadal’s marathon match on Monday, the world No. 31 from Czechia will have his chances. Lehecka has never made it past the quarters on the dirt and under normal circumstances that would spell disaster for him and a breeze for Nadal. Since these are far from normal circumstances, expect Lehecka to give the Spanish legend some difficulty. Still, with a wildly pro-Nadal crowd and the five-time Madrid champion slowly finding his way back to form, he should have just enough to get past Lehecka.
Cheryl pick: Nadal in 3
Ricky pick: Lehecka in 3
(1) Jannik Sinner vs. (16) Karen Khachanov
Jannik Sinner is playing Madrid with some right-hip pain this week. The world No. 2 has distanced himself from the field in 2024 by capturing his first major at the Australian Open, overcoming the Herculean task of defeating Novak Djokovic en route to the first major of the year. But he looked slightly vulnerable in his third-round match on Monday against world No. 72 Pavel Kotov. He had to come from behind to take the second set 7-5.
Provided Sinner is healthy, he will be the favorite going into Tuesday’s match against Karen Khachanov. While the Italian isn’t quite as successful on clay as he is on hard courts, he is still a force to be reckoned with on the dirt. Khachanov has posted solid results this season, including a quarterfinal showing in Monte-Carlo a couple of weeks ago. The world No. 17 has earned one win in four tries over Sinner, and if the world No. 2 is hampered it could represent a good opportunity for the Russian.
Cheryl pick: Sinner in 3
Ricky pick: Sinner in 2
WWW?
Sinner in 2; and though my heart says Rafa, my brain says Lehecka.
Lehecka in 3
Unfortunately for Rafa this isn’t the same Lehecka from 1-2 years ago where he might chocked on the occasion.
Lehecka is a much improved player since the start of this year.