Rolex Paris Masters 2020: Rafael Nadal vs. Jordan Thompson

Nadal and Thompson will play each other for the first time. Read this preview before the match between the Spaniard and Australian.

Rafael Nadal and Jordan Thompson will meet for the first time in the Round of 16 at the Rolex Paris Masters. If Nadal wins, he will have a strong chance of claiming one of the few tournaments he’s never won before.

Don’t expect the Australian to go down without a fight; he’s looked solid in the tournament so far and has lost just one set across two rounds.

Both men have their sights on making history, with Nadal trying to progress in the ATP Rolex Paris Masters 1000 so he can claim his maiden title at the tournament, and Thompson has hopes of causing the biggest upset of his career.

Nadal chasing first Rolex Paris Masters title

Given the kind of form, he displayed at the French Open, securing his 20th Major defeating World No.1 Novak Djokovic in the final. This time around at the Rolex Paris Masters, Nadal has a slightly easier draw, so this might be his best chance of securing the Rolex Paris Masters trophy that has been difficult for him to achieve.

Nadal looks well placed to secure his elusive first ATP Paris Masters 1000 trophy, but do not forget that Thompson will be confident after the solid tournament he has had so far.

However, Nadal will need to play a lot better than he did against Lopez to make that happen. Meanwhile, Australia’s Thompson has been in solid form this tournament so far, as he has only lost one set across two rounds. In Thompson’s opening tournament match, he defeated Argentine Federico Delbonis 6-2, 6-3.

Handling the conditions

With the tournament moving to autumn from spring, the conditions could favor Thompson. The ball will not bounce as high as it would in spring. Also, the heavier balls and the colder weather seem detrimental to Nadal as he cannot generate the heavy topspin and high bounces that would typically trouble Thompson.

Yes, clay is Nadal’s favored surface, but for some reason, he has not been able to claim the Rolex Paris Masters trophy. Nadal plays well on clay because the ball slows down more than on grass, and this works in Nadal’s favor as he can use his athleticism to get himself ready to use his greatest weapon, his forehand. The clay suits his forehand perfectly.

The changes may hurt Nadal, but he remains the favorite. Regardless of the conditions, Thompson is playing against the ‘King of Clay’, so it will be challenging to overcome him on his favored surface. Maybe the thing going in Thompsons favor is that Nadal had a rocky start to the tournament.

Nadal was down a set against fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in his first-round match, before the fightback to victory 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4. Overcoming Lopez was a record-breaking result, as Nadal became only the fourth player to earn 1,000 Open Era singles victories.

Can Thompson cause a massive upset over one of the greatest of all time, or will Nadal win easily in straight sets?

Baseline vs. Baseline

Yes, it was tough going for Nadal against Lopez, but unfortunately, Thompson does not have the same serving capability as Lopez. Then it comes down to Nadal and Thompson’s baseline game. So when you compare the two players’ baseline games, Nadal’s baseline game will give him the strength he needs to overcome the Australian.

Nadal’s playing style is aggressive, as he plays well behind the baseline. Nadal’s baseline playing style is built on heavy topspin groundstrokes (dominate play), consistency, speedy footwork, and full tennis court coverage. He uses a full western grip forehand, explaining why Nadal has been so victorious at Roland Garros because this playing style perfectly suits the clay surface.

Nadal has achieved great success on clay courts with this favored combination of serving out wide

and attacking with his forehand. Nadal uses his serve to push right-handed opponents out wide to

the backhand corner to force them to return a weak shot. Then, this leaves the whole court open for

Nadal to smash his forehand down the line. With this playing style, Thompson will need to return Nadal’s serve well, and Thompson will need to be prepared as Nadal gets ready to hit a crosscourt forehand.

Something that might work in Thompson’s favor is that he could extend each of the points, as Nadal’s aging body cannot grind out points like he used to. However, Nadal uses this tactic a lot to win quicker points on serve, and this way, his energy is conserved. This combination is one of the reasons why Nadal is so good on clay, and therefore Thompson will need to be at his best to pull off an unlikely victory over world no.2.