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Aljaz Bedene: rematch versus Rafael Nadal at 2018 Monte-Carlo Masters

By Harry Floyd

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - FEBRUARY 22: Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia returns a shot to Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain during the ATP Rio Open 2018 at Jockey Club Brasileiro on February 22, 2018 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - FEBRUARY 22: Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia returns a shot to Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain during the ATP Rio Open 2018 at Jockey Club Brasileiro on February 22, 2018 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images) /
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Aljaz Bedene last faced Rafael Nadal at the 2016 Monte-Carlo Masters. Their upcoming match marks just the second time they will meet on tour.

Slovenian tennis player Aljaz Bedene is coming into his second career ATP singles match against Rafael Nadal. The two players last faced one another at the 2016 Monte-Carlo Masters. It’s only fitting that they meet yet again at the same tournament.

Nadal would go on and win the 2016 iteration of the event. He is now a ten-time champion in men’s singles at the Monte-Carlo Masters. While Nadal has struggled with injuries as of late, he remains the top seed and heavy favorite this week. Facing Bedene first this week, the Spanish superstar looks to get off to a strong start. He has not played since the Australian Open back in January. Nadal was scheduled to appear in several tournaments leading into the clay court season, but withdrew in order to rehab and recover more from his ongoing injury issues.

Related Story: Nadal: 2018 Injury Troubles

In 2016, Nadal took his meeting with Bedene in straight sets. He won 6-3, 6-3 in the round of 32 at the Monte-Carlo Masters. The younger Slovenian enters the tournament as the world No. 58 in men’s singles tennis. He has gone as high as the world No. 43 ranking just weeks ago on the ATP World Tour. Bedene remains in search of his first career ATP singles title. He has, however, seen success in both Challenger and Futures events. To kick off his play at the 2018 Monte-Carlo Masters, the Slovenian defeated Mirza Bašić in straight sets.

Rafael Nadal is a ten-time champion at the Monte-Carlo Masters. Aljaz Bedene will need to complete the upset if he hopes to advance at the Masters 1000 event.

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Elsewhere at Monte-Carlo, Novak Djokovic is off to a strong start. He wins his opener in straight sets in order to advance. Milos Raonic, Alexander Zverev, and Grigor Dimitrov are all players to watch moving forward. Several other young up and comers and veteran greats are in action. If Nadal can be beaten, the road to a title will be wide open. If Nadal appears in fine form this week though, he must be considered to heavy favorite. Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka are the only players to take the title at the Monte-Carlo Masters since Nadal began his dominance at the event. Stay tuned to see if Aljaz Bedene can even his career head-to-head against the Spanish superstar.

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