H2H: Rafael Nadal vs. Daniil Medvedev - Prediction (ATP London

Nadal (Esp) – Medvedev (Rus). Preview and players comparison.

Though Rafael Nadal leads the H2H series 2-0, Daniil Medvedev proved his ability to win this matchup in the US Open recently. Considering the playing conditions in London and Rafael Nadal’s fitness problems, the Russian will start a match against the Spaniard as the favorite for the first time.This will be a rematch of the championship clash in the US Open a few months ago when Daniil Medvedev fought exceptionally well before losing out in five tight sets. The performance in New York would give the Russian a lot of confidence heading into this clash, especially considering very few players have managed to produce such comeback efforts against the Spaniard, 5-7 3-6 7-5 6-4 4-6.

Daniil Medvedev’s perfect record (5-0) against his rival Stefanos Tsitsipas came to an end as he went down in straight sets against the Greek in the round-robin match earlier this week, 6-7 4-6. Medvedev must be disappointed with the result as he couldn’t create a breakpoint opportunity in the entire match.World #4 Daniil Medvedev’s nine-match winning streak on tour came to an end at the hands of Jeremy Chardy in the second round of Paris Masters (R1 bye) a couple of weeks ago. This is the first time he has suffered consecutive defeats on tour since losing to Pierre Hugues Herbert and Lucas Pouille in the first round of French Open and opening round of ATP Stuttgart in June.

Daniil Medvedev is arguably the top performer in the second half of 2019 and entered the ATP World Tour finals as one of the favorites to win the title. However, he is not in an ideal position now and cannot afford to lose against the world #1 Rafael Nadal in his second round-robin match on Wednesday. Since Wimbledon, Daniil Medvedev has competed in seven tournaments on the main tour, and he managed to reach the final in six of them. This impressive run earned him three titles in Cincinnati Masters, Shanghai Masters, and St.Petersburg and a runner-up finish in the US Open.

“I’m struggling a little bit with finding back my level I had in the USA and Shanghai and St. Petersburg, which is… I think normal for any sportsman, and that’s what is amazing about the top three, Big Three and Murray before, that even when you kind of look at them and you think, ‘Okay, they are not playing as good as they can’, they still win these matches,” said Medvedev.

Playing his first match since pulling out of the semifinal clash in Paris Masters due to an abdominal strain, Rafael Nadal could win only six games against Alexander Zverev on Monday, 2-6 4-6. It was the Spaniard’s first defeat against the German in six meetings (H2H 5-1). World #1 Rafael Nadal later praised Alexander Zverev and admitted the result was not down his fitness problems. “It was not a problem with the abdominal at all. I did not feel pain in the abdominal at all. Just Sascha played well, and [I] played bad, honestly. We can find reasons or excuses, but at the end of the day, [all that] really matters is I need to play much better,” said Rafael Nadal. Rafael Nadal’s chances of finishing the season as world #1 took a huge blow after the defeat against Alexander Zverev, but Dominic Thiem’s stunning win over Novak Djokovic on Tuesday has given the control back to the Spaniard in the race for year-end #1. The reigning US Open and French Open champion, Rafael Nadal has never won the ATP World Tour Finals title in eight appearances, and in fact, the last time he reached the semifinal of this tournament was back in 2015.