Rafael Nadal will begin his quest for a third Wimbledon title when he takes the court on Tuesday against Thomaz Bellucci. Hasan Murad previews the first-round showdown.
Rafael Nadal is definitely in uncharted territory as he enters this year’s Championships as the No.10 seed, his lowest seeding in a Grand Slam since the 2005 Australian Open. While the 14-time Grand Slam champion is facing unfamiliarity with the current situation, there will be no secrets harbored by his 42nd-ranked opponent, Thomaz Bellucci.
The two lefties have played four times in the past and Nadal has dominated all four meetings without dropping a set. This will be their second battle on the verdant lawns of Wimbledon (Nadal won 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-3 in their first-round clash in 2012) and the dynamics are still heavily-weighted in favor of the Spaniard.
After reaching his fifth Wimbledon final in 2011, Nadal has managed to win only four matches over the past three years at this event. One the bright side, though, the former world No. 1 captured a title on grass as part of his preparation for the upcoming fortnight. He had not accomplished that feat since 2008, when he went on to lift the trophy for the first time at the All-England Club. Nadal was quick to shrug off his quarterfinal loss to Novak Djokovic at the French Open and played well to triumph in Stuttgart by beating Victor Troicki 7-6(3), 6-3 in the final.
Conversely, Bellucci’s attempt to fine-tune his grass-court game for Wimbledon took an early blow when he lost to Alexander Zverev 6-7(7), 6-3, 6-4 in the Nottingham first round last week. The Brazilian’s career record at Wimbledon stands at a modest 3-4. However, considering Nadal’s struggles throughout the season so far, Bellucci might view this encounter as a golden opportunity to pull off the biggest win of his career and advance to the second round.
Historically, Nadal is susceptible to losing early at Wimbledon but he is a heavy to favorite to win this contest. It will primarily be a baseline duel and the two-time champion can be expected out-hit his opponent with ruthless aggression.
Pick: Nadal in 3 losing 8-10 games
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