Rafael Nadal vs. Alex de Minaur 2/2/21 - ATP Cup Tennis Picks & Predictions
Last Updated: 01/29/2021 at 9:31 AM ET
Rafael Nadal is set to start his 2021 tennis season in Australia as he leads Team Spain at the ATP Cup. Nadal will begin his tournament against Alex de Minaur from Team Australia.
Rafael Nadal has been iconic in the tennis world for well over a decade and the Spaniard will hope that 2021 is the season when he can close in on some of the records set by Roger Federer. Australia has never been the strongest venue for Rafael Nadal as he has only won the Australian Open once and has mostly been outperformed by Djokovic and Federer in this part of the season. Nadal will hope that he can start the season with a huge win at the ATP Cup so that the momentum is on his side as he enters the Australian Open.
On the other side of the coin, Alex de Minaur started his season last month with a hugely successful campaign in Antalya where he won the title. It was a strong tournament for Alex de Minaur as he defeated the likes of David Goffin and Nikoloz Basilashvili. Playing on home soil will be a huge boost for Alex de Minaur but the Australian must produce his best tennis in this match as he is playing against one of the greatest in Rafael Nadal.
Rafael Nadal and Alex de Minaur have played each other 3 times in the past with Nadal winning on all 3 occasions. The most recent match between these two players was in 2020 at the ATP Cup where Rafael Nadal won in 3 sets. Alex de Minaur has only won 1 set against Nadal in the 3 head-to-head meetings.
Looking at all the information, I am going to pick Rafa to win this match. Rafa is the stronger player and the Spaniard has been playing at a level above Alex de Minaur for many years. I see Rafael Nadal winning in straight sets.
