After their exceptional match at the Australian Open 2022 finals, Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev are all set to encounter again at the semi- finals of the Acapulco Mexican Open 2022.
The men’s singles quarter- finals of the ATP 500 tennis tournament was played today and the top players have yet again proved their worth by advancing to the semi- finals.
While the British player Cameron Norrie defeated Peter Gojowczyk of Germany, the World No.3 Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Marcos Giron of the USA to enter the semi- final bout of the Mexican Open 2022.
On the other hand, the Spanish player Rafael Nadal sailed past the American player Tommy Paul with figures-6-0 and 7-6, and the World No.2 Daniil Medvedev outplayed Yoshihito Nishioka scoring 6-2 and 6-3 to advance in to the semi- finals.
Nadal and Medvedev are set to clash with each other for the pre- final match scheduled to be played on 26th February. The duo will be meeting for the first time since their notable Australian Open final of last month.
Will Medvedev end Rafa’s winning streak? ???? @AbiertoTelcel | #AMT2022 https://t.co/8ARxTXzqvs
— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 25, 2022
Preview: Head-to-Head, Key statistics and Prediction
Having played against each other for five whole times, the win- loss meter needle slides to the advantage of the World No.5 Rafael Nadal. The Russian has registered only one win out of the five encounters the duo has had.
While the Spaniard has the asset of experience on his side, Daniil Medvedev has the upperhand of being a young athlete.
Besides their physical advantages, the way they play have also assisted them in their battles against each other. On one hand, Medvedev leads in playing aces on court, Nadal on the other hand has impressive backhand and forehand winners across the court.
Taking into consideration, the five and half long match at the Australian open finals, Rafael seems to have an edge of not getting exhausted in case of a long match as opposed to Daniil. Although, the upcoming match is not as same as the Grand Slam, the strength point is always a plus when it comes to tennis matches.
Apart from their powers, the momentum to date, which is in favour of Nadal as he remains unbeaten so far this year, and the crowd support plays a vital role as well. The matter of support from the spectators has been an issue with Medvedev in the past, including the Happy Slam 2022 final match where he openly expressed his dismay about not having enough crowd support during the match.
Over all, the statistics predict that Rafael Nadal has more of the winning opportunity than the World No.2, but Daniil will look to avenge his Australian Open final loss at the semi-final match of the Mexican Open.