Rafael Nadal is stable at the top of the rankings after a fantastic 2019. However, the Spanish Legend needs to watch his back not only against the other big3 (Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer) but also against the so-called next gen.
There is an interesting group of young players that is finally knocking at the door and Francisco Roig, Rafael Nadal’s coach, explained who impressed the most.
Stefanos Tsitsipas improvements and Medvedev
According to the Spaniard, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev are the ones that performed the best in 2019 among the youngsters. Roig had great words about the Greek, saying that he is the one that evolved his game the most. While in the past they were rather comfortable when facing him, in the last few matches against the King of Clay, Stefanos managed to be much more aggressive with interesting anticipations.
Denis Shapovalov the one with the biggest potential
According to Francisco, Rafael seems to be a “fan” of Denis Shapovalov that defeated him a couple of years ago during a surprising run at the Rogers Cup. The King of Clay and his coach are amazed by his sheer talent they believe that the Canadian possesses shots that are not “coachable.”
Finally, Francisco didn’t seem to be so excited by Sascha Zverev. The German remains one of the top young players, but his tennis didn’t really evolve in the last 2 years.
The betting odds at the Australian Open.
Talking about the odds of the upcoming player at the imminent Australian Open, Medvedev is considered as the favorite by bet365 followed by Tsitsipas, Zverev and Shapovalov.
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Rafael Nadal’s ranking and performance in 2019
At the moment ranked no.1, Nadal played his last match on the 15th of November when he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-74 6-4 7-5 in the round robin in London.
This year Nadal has a 52-7 win-loss record. Nadal clinched 4 titles in 2019 in Rome, at the French Open, in Montreal and at the U.S. Open. The Spaniard was the finalist at the Australian Open.
Stefanos Tsitsipas’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.6, the Greek played his last match on the 17th of November when he overcame Dominic Thiem 6-76 6-2 7-64 in the final in London to win his 4th career title.
This year Stefanos has a 53-25 win-loss record. The Greek has won 3 titles in 2019 in Marseille, in Estoril and in London. The Greek was the finalist in Dubai, in Madrid and in Beijing.
Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas played each other 6 times. The head to head is 5-1 for Nadal.
The last time that they locked horns, Rafael Nadal won 6-74 6-4 7-5 in the round robin in London (Nitto ATP Finals) THE 15th OF November 2019.
Here the highlights.
Denis Shapovalov’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.15 (career-high), Denis played his last match on the 24th of November when he was defeated by Rafael Nadal 6-3 7-67 in the Rubber 2 in CAN 2.
This year the Canadian has a 33-25 win-loss record. Shapovalov conquered 1 title in Stockholm. Shapovalov was the finalist in Paris.
Alexander Zverev’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.7, Alexander played his last match on the 16th of November when he had to surrender to Dominic Thiem 7-5 6-3 in the semifinal in London.
This year Alexander has a 41-24 win-loss record. Alexander has won 1 title in Geneva. Alexander was the finalist in Acapulco and in Shanghai.
Denis Shapovalov and Alexander Zverev played each other 4 times. The head to head is 3-1 for Zverev.
The last time that they played, Rafael Nadal won 6-2 5-7 6-2 in the 3rd round in Paris (BNP Paribas Masters) THE 31st OF October 2019.
Here the highlights.
Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas |
| Embed from Getty Images |
