Alex de Minaur vs Rafael Nadal – Breakdown and Prediction

April 17, 2024

Alex de Minaur vs Rafael Nadal: ATP Barcelona – Second round

In his second match back on the court, Rafael Nadal will take on Alex de Minaur in the second round of the ATP Barcelona.

Alex de Minaur Profile

Alex de Minaur is 11th in the ATP rankings, two spots lower than his career high. The Australian is 22-7 for the season and 3-1 on clay court.

De Minaur is coming off a 7-5, 6-4 loss to Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinal in Monte Carlo. On his way there, de Minaur defeated Alexei Popyrin, Tallon Griekspoor, and Stan Wawrinka.

De Minaur won the title in Acapulco this season for the second year in a row and lost in the final in Rotterdam to Jannik Sinner.

This will be his fourth consecutive appearance in Barcelona, and his best result came in 2022, when he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinal.

Rafael Nadal Profile

The 22-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1, Rafael Nadal, is currently 644th in the ATP rankings. The Spaniard is 3-2 for the season and 1-0 on clay court.

Nadal got back in action in the opening round in Barcelona, and he defeated Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 6-3. He played in the opening week of the season in Auckland, where he lost in the quarterfinal to Jordan Thompson after defeating Jason Kubler and Dominic Thiem.

Nadal made his debut in Barcelona in 2002 and has won the tournament 12 times. His last title was in 2021, and he won eight consecutive titles from 2005 to 2013.

Head-to-Head – Nadal leads 3-1

De Minaur vs Nadal 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 (2023 United Cup)
Nadal vs De Minaur 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 (2020 ATP Cup)
Nadal vs De Minaur 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 (2019 Australian Open, third round)
Nadal vs De Minaur 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 (2018 Wimbledon, third round)

Prediction and Conclusion

Every tennis fan should be happy to see Rafael Nadal back in action. He played quite well in the opening round against Cobolli, which was his only ninth match since the beginning of 2023. This will probably be the last season for Nadal, so it is good to see him playing well in the place where he won a record 12 titles. The Spaniard will have a much more difficult situation in the second round as he will face Alex de Minaur, who is on the verge of getting back into the top 10. The Australians defeated Nadal in their last match, and given their current form, de Minaur will go past Nadal to the round of 16 in Barcelona.