Rafael Nadal vs. Pablo Andújar 2/24/20 - Mexican Open Tennis Picks & Predictions
Last Updated: 02/23/2020 at 6:28 PM ET
In the opening round of the 2020 Mexican Open, Rafael Nadal will play against Pablo Andújar.
Pablo Andújar is a hugely experienced player and he has won 4 ATP titles in his career. That being said, Pablo Andújar is past his peak and it has been tough times in 2020 for the Spaniard. Pablo Andújar has played in 6 tournaments in 2020 but he has not made it past the second round at any event. The last time that Andújar played was at the Rio Open where he played well to eliminate Fernando Verdasco but was beaten in the second round. The draw has been unkind to Pablo Andújar as he is playing against the number 1 seed in the opening round.
On the other side of the coin, Rafael Nadal is playing his first tournament since the Australian Open. The Australian Open was a poor tournament for Rafa as he was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Dominic Thiem. While there is no shame in losing to Thiem, the loss meant that Nadal lost his number 1 ranking to Novak Djokovic. In addition to that Australian Open, Nadal also played at the ATP Cup where he led Team Spain to the final. The Mexican Open is a strong tournament for Rafael Nadal as he has won it twice in the past. Nadal will be hoping to win his first ATP title for 2020 at this tournament.
Pablo Andújar and Rafael Nadal 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 2014 in Rio where Nadal won in 3 sets.
Pablo Andújar is past his peak and he has looked very low on confidence in 2020. While Rafa has not been at his best this season, the Spanish superstar has still been playing well and looks to be hitting the ball well. There is a huge gap in skill between Pablo Andújar and Rafael Nadal so I am going to pick Rafa to win this match in straight sets.
