Rafael Nadal is now in Barcelona, where he will try to conquer his 12th title in Catalonia. The King of Clay was disappointed before losing in the Principality as early as in the quarters at the hands of an inspired Andrey Rublev. Eventually, it was Stefanos Tsitsipas to win the title in Monte Carlo. Seeded number 2, the Greek sensation will probably be the biggest rival of Rafa in Barcelona.
During a press conference in Barcelona, Rafael Nadal commented: “Monte Carlo loss is in the past. You put it aside. The match against Rublev was strange; it went bad. Now we are in Barcelona, and I want to win.”
Rafael Nadal will face Ilya Ivashka in his first match in Barcelona. Obviously, the King of Clay is expected to win in straight sets. Stefanos Tsitsipas will play his first match against Jaume Antoni Munar Clar on the other side of the draw.
Rafael Nadal in 2021
At the moment ranked no.3, Rafael played his last match on the 16th of April when he was defeated by world no.7 Andrey Rublev 6-2 4-6 6-2 in the quarter in Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (draw).
This year the Spaniard has a compiled 6-2 win-loss record.
Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2021
Currently the world no.5 (career-high), Tsitsipas played his last match on the 18th of April when he beat world no.7 Andrey Rublev 6-3 6-3 in the final in Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters to win his 6th career title.
Currently, during this year Stefanos achieved an overall 22-5 record. The Greek conquered 1 title in Carlo. Tsitsipas reached the final in Acapulco.
Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas clashed against each other 8 times. Their head to head is 6-2 for Nadal. Previously, the last time they played each other, Stefanos Tsitsipas won 3-6 2-6 7-6(4) 6-4 7-5 in the quarter in Melbourne (Australian Open) on the 17th of February 2021.
In the video below you can watch the highlights.
Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas |
| Embed from Getty Images |
