Rafael Nadal is not having a smashing season this year, at least until now. The King of Clay won only 1 tournament on the dirt (Barcelona) after playing Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid. That is not usual for a player like Rafa who has been dominating the clay-court season for the last two decades.
Nevertheless, Rafael Nadal still has the opportunity to bounce back in Rome and, even more importantly, at the French Open.
Nadal in Rome
Rafa won the title in Rome 9 times, but only twice in the last 7 years. In 2020, the tournament was staged in September because of the rescheduling that followed the global pandemic. On that occasion, Nadal was upset by Diego Schwartzman in the quarterfinals.
Anyway, Nadal will still be considered the favorite to win the upcoming ATP1000 in Rome also this year. Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas would be his biggest hurdles to conquer the title.
Rafael Nadal in 2021
Currently the world no.2, Nadal played his last match on the 7th of May when he was overcome by world no.6 Alexander Zverev 6-4 6-4 in the quarter in Madrid (draw)
.Until now, during this year the Spaniard owns a compiled 13-3 match record. The Spaniard conquered 1 title in Barcelona.
Novak Djokovic in 2021
Ranked no.1, Djokovic played his last match on the 24th of April when he lost to world no.27 Aslan Karatsev 7-5 4-6 6-4 in the semifinal in Belgrade (draw).
Currently, during this year Novak has managed to achieve an overall 12-2 match record. The Serbian conquered 1 title at the Australian Open.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic played each other 56 times. Their head to head is 29-27 for Djokovic. Previously, the last time when they competed against each other, Rafael Nadal won 6-0 6-2 7-5 in the final in Paris (French Open) in October 2020.
In the video below you can watch the highlights.
Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2021
Currently the world no.5 (career-high), Tsitsipas played his last match on the 6th of May when he lost to world no.22 Casper Ruud 7-6(4) 6-4 in the 3rd round in Madrid (draw).
At the moment, during this season Tsitsipas has a 27-7 win-loss record. This year, the Greek conquered 1 title in Monte-Carlo. The Greek was the finalist in Acapulco and in Barcelona.