Rafael Nadal is not messing around at the 2019 Italian Open
By Harry Floyd
Rafael Nadal enters the 2019 Italian Open as the defending and eight-time champion in men’s singles. He is out to prove a point this year.
King of Clay Rafael Nadal is off to an impressive start at the 2019 Italian Open in Rome, Italy this week. The defending champion is also a record-setting eight-time champ in men’s singles at the event. Nadal opens his time in Rome with two wins on Thursday. First, Rafa ousts French tennis star Jeremy Chardy.
Nadal would go on to also knock out the 14th seeded Nikoloz Basilashvili. It’s tough for anyone to play two matches in one day, let alone two against strong players such as Chardy and Basilashvili. Nadal was clearly up to the task though.
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Without dropping a single set, the defending champion cruises in to the quarterfinals at the Italian Open. He defeats Chardy in near perfect fashion, winning 6-0 6-1. Then, he took down Basilashvili 6-1 6-0. Talk about dominance.
Up next for the King of Clay is fellow countryman Fernando Verdasco. The two face off in the quarterfinals on Friday in Rome and Nadal must be considered a heavy favorite.
The way he is playing right now, combined with his history against Verdasco, makes Nadal the clearcut frontrunner. He is 16-3 versus Verdasco throughout their careers.
While Nadal is rocketing into the quarterfinals, so is top seed and current world number one Novak Djokovic. The Serbian defeats both Denis Shapovalov and Philipp Kohlschreiber in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals. Up next for Djokovic is another extremely accomplished tennis veteran in Juan Martin del Potro. We have to favor Nole, but this is going to be an interesting one to watch.
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Also still alive at the 2019 Italian Open is Swiss tennis star Roger Federer. He awaits his next opponent after defeating both João Sousa and Borna Ćorić despite Ćorić putting up quite a challenge in the round of 16. Check back to see if Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, or someone else will emerge as the favorite moving forward at the Italian Open. Right now though, it looks like it’s Rafa’s tournament to lose.