Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal 5/31/22 - French Open Men Singles Picks & Predictions
Last Updated: 05/30/2022 at 6:05 PM ET
We have reached the quarterfinals of the 2022 ATP French Open in Paris. At this stage of the tournament, Novak Djokovic is set to play against Rafael Nadal from Spain.
Novak Djokovic looks in outstanding form and enters this match following a comfortable win over Diego Schwartzman in the previous round of the tournament. During the win, Djokovic impressed with his receiving as he won over 50% of his return points which allowed him to break his opponent’s serve on 6 occasions. Djokovic recently won the Italian Open and is looking in outstanding form as he enters this match. Despite the opponent, Djokovic is looking well placed as he enters this match.
On the other side of the coin, Rafael Nadal is considered the greatest clay player of all-time. Nadal is likely past his peak but the Spaniard is still playing at a very high level. In the previous round, Rafael Nadal defeated his opponent in 5 sets. It was a close and physical match for Rafa but he was able to win vital points when required to get through to this match. Nadal has won the most French Open titles in history but this will still be a tough match for the Spaniard as he is taking on a legendary player in Novak Djokovic.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have played each other 58 times in the past. In these 58 matches, Djokovic has won on 30 occasions while Nadal has won 28 times. The most recent match between these two players was last year at the French Open where Novak Djokovic won in 4 sets. Rafael Nadal last defeated Novak Djokovic in 2021 at the ATP Rome Masters.
Taking everything into consideration, I am going to pick Novak Djokovic to win this match. Looking at the two players, Djokovic seems to be playing at a higher level at this moment in time. Furthermore, Djokovic will be fresher as Nadal just played a 5-set marathon match in the previous round. This should be a close match but I see Novak Djokovic getting the win.
