World No. 4. Rafael Nadal, the 21-time Grand Slam champion, will face Denis Shapovalov, ranked 16, in the Round of 16 of the 2022 Italy Open, on Thursday, 1:00 PM ET. Here, you will find all the details about the Time, How to Watch, Head to Head, Odds, and Prediction of this Rafael Nadal vs Denis Shapovalov event.
Preview
Rafael Nadal is currently leading the ATP Race and has been the best player so far this season. He had a fantastic start to the season, winning the Melbourne Summer Set prior to the Australian Open and then winning his record 21st major title in Melbourne. He maintained his strong form in Acapulco, winning the Mexican Open. He continued his winning streak at Indian Wells before losing in the final to Taylor Fritz.
Rafael Nadal began the defense of his 10th Italian Open title with a commanding straight-sets victory over John Isner, conceding only four games. The 35-year-old defeated Novak Djokovic in the final here last season in one of the best matches of 2021, but the Serb had the last laugh with a four-set victory in the Roland-Garros semi-finals shortly after. Nadal won the Australian Open in January, breaking the Men’s Singles Grand Slam record of 21 majors. In the quarterfinals of last week’s Madrid Open, Nadal was defeated for the first time by eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Meanwhile, Shapovalov has won 15 of his 23 matches this season. The Canadian began brilliantly by assisting Canada in winning the ATP Cup. He then advanced to his third Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open, where he was defeated in five sets by Rafael Nadal.
Shapovalov’s form dipped after his exploits in Australia, and he lost in the first round of the Rotterdam Open to Jiri Lehecka. The 23-year-old then lost in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open to lower-ranked Arthur Rinderknecht.
Denis Shapovalov defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili in straight sets on Tuesday, his first back-to-back wins since reaching the semi-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships in February. The 23-year-old has only one ATP title, which he won at the 2019 Stockholm Open, but he has a high ceiling after reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals last season and reaching the Australian Open quarter-finals, which Rafael Nadal won in five sets. Back in 2020, Shapovalov reached the semi-finals in Rome before losing to subsequent runner-up Diego Schwartzman.
When is Nadal vs Shapovalov?
- Date: Thursday, May 12, 2022
- Time: 1:00 pm ET
Location of Rafael Nadal vs Denis Shapovalov:
- Venue: Foro Italico in Rome, Italy
- Capacity: 8000
The Nadal vs Shapovalov match will occur at the Foro Italico. The venue can host up to 8000 people.
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Nadal vs Shapovalov Match Details
- Match: Rafael Nadal vs Denis Shapovalov
- Round: Round of 16
- Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy
- Surface: Clay
- Prize Money: €5,415,410
- Live telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video.
Nadal vs Shapovalov head-to-head
Nadal 4 : 1 Shapovalov
How to watch Nadal vs Shapovalov?
- USA: Tennis Channel and Sling Tv will broadcast the Nadal vs Shapovalov match in the United States.
- UK: UK viewers can watch the action on Amazon Prime Video.
- Canada: Canadians can enjoy the action on DAZN, TSN, and Rogers Sportsnet.
- Australia: Fans in Australia can watch all of the action live on beIN Sports.
- Italy: The Nadal vs Shapovalov match will be broadcast live on Sky Italia by the host country.
Odds:
Moneyline:
- Rafael Nadal: -800
- Denis Shapovalov: +500
Handicap Bets:
- Rafael Nadal: -5.5 (-110)
- Denis Shapovalov: +5.5 (+140)
Total Games:
- Rafael Nadal: Over 19.5 (-130)
- Denis Shapovalov: Under 19.5 (+100)
*All odds sourced from BetMGM
Rafael Nadal vs Denis Shapovalov Prediction:
On the surface, he has shown glimpses of his potential, reaching the semifinals of the Madrid Open and the Italian Open in 2018 and 2020, respectively. He came within two points of defeating Nadal in Rome last year. He came close to defeating Nadal in Rome last year, having two match points in the decider.
Nadal looked in good shape in his win over Isner after shaking off the rust at the Madrid Open. While Shapovalov will be a more difficult opponent than the Americans, Nadal has enough weapons to defeat the Canadians. Shapovalov’s serve is strong, but he is prone to double-faulting, having committed seven in his first match and four in his previous match.
In crosscourt exchanges, Nadal’s top-spin-heavy forehand will do a lot of damage to Shapovalov, and he should be able to get the better of the Canadian and reach the quarterfinals of the Italian Open.
Prediction: Rafael Nadal will win in straight sets.
