Predictor Game: Why Nadal is an obvious choice in Bastad | ATP Tour

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Predictor Game: Why Nadal is an obvious choice in Bastad

These are the players with the best chances of earning points next week

July 13, 2024

Even as Wimbledon draws to a close, the action never stops on the ATP Tour. Next week will see four tournaments taking place simultaneously: one ATP 500 (Hamburg Open) and three ATP 250 events (Nordea Open, EFG Swiss Open Gstaad and Infosys Hall of Fame Open).

There will be plenty of stars in action, including Rafael Nadal, Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Who could be good options for you to choose from in the PIF ATP Rankings Predictor? ATPTour.com looks at three players to watch.

Make your selections now!

Rafael Nadal — defends 0 points
If Nadal goes into any tournament with no points to defend, he will always be a good player to pick. The Spaniard has won 82.7 percent of his tour-level matches according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, and he will look to improve his record this week in Bastad.

Nadal has competed in Bastad on three previous occasions, winning the title in his most recent appearance in 2005. At that edition, the left-hander defeated four players who would go on to crack the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings – Juan Monaco, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Tommy Robredo and Tomas Berdych – on his way to the trophy. Nineteen years later, he will open his tournament against Leo Borg, the son of legendary Swede Bjorn Borg.

Stefanos Tsitsipas — defends 15 points
Tsitsipas suffered a shock second-round loss at Wimbledon to Emil Ruusuvuori and will be eager to return to form this week on the clay of Gstaad. The top seed will begin the ATP 250 event against either Marc-Andrea Huesler or Hamad Medjedovic, the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion.

The Greek has won five of his 11 ATP Tour titles on clay, including all three of his ATP Masters 1000 trophies (in Monte Carlo). One of those Masters 1000 triumphs in the Principality came earlier this year.

Arthur Fils — defends 25 points
A year ago, Fils reached the semi-finals in Hamburg. It remains his only semi-final at an ATP 500 event. The Frenchman hopes his fond memories of that run will help him this week at the German tournament. The last time Fils was in Hamburg, he defeated Casper Ruud by dropping just four games.

The player ranked number one in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah is in good form, having advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon. The fifth seed will begin his tournament in Hamburg against Jaume Munar.

Bonus Ball — Rafael Nadal
With no points to defend this week, Nadal has a lot to gain and if you place your Bonus Ball on the Spaniard, you can double those points. The 38-year-old did not compete on grass and has continued his training on clay. So while players will have to find their footing on clay, Nadal will be ready to play.

The former world number one lost in the first round of Roland Garros to Zverev in a tight three-setter, but showed some of his best tennis of the year. Zverev reached the final and came close to lifting his first Grand Slam trophy, proving Nadal’s high level to challenge him. The 63-time clay-court champion will try to bring even better tennis to the courts in Bastad this week.