Rafael Nadal vs Flavio Cobolli
April 16, 2024
Rafael Nadal -333 / Flavio Cobolli +130
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12-time champion Rafael Nadal will mark his return from injury to play Flavio Cobolli in the first round of the 2024 Barcelona Open. The match will be played on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Here’s our Rafael Nadal vs Flavio Cobolli prediction.
Will Nadal play?
The question on everybody’s lips. The legendary Spaniard has been forced to postpone his comeback from a hip injury for a few months now. Nadal is extra cautious and, at the same time, doesn’t just commit to playing without being overly fussed about his performances. In withdrawals from Doha, Indian Wells, and most recently, Monte Carlo, his biggest obstacle was that he was not in the right competitive shape to play. He was also not going to push his body to its absolute physical limits like he had in the past. So, it will be very interesting to see how he feels about his chances in Barcelona. But as long as he doesn’t withdraw, then he believes he can win this tournament.
Cobolli, an obvious threat on clay
Not long ago, Flavio Cobolli broke the ATP’s Top 100 and is now ranked 63rd in the world rankings – a spot shy from his career-best ranking. The Italian has been very consistent with results on hard courts, like reaching the third round of the Australian Open as a qualifier and making two more quarterfinal finishes in tour-level tournaments in February. However, he arrives in Barcelona extremely cold, having won once in his last four matches. He was eliminated from the qualifying rounds at his most recent tournament in Monte Carlo. Let’s see if he has what it takes to beat the king of clay in his backyard.
Rafael Nadal vs Flavio Cobolli Head-To-Head
This is the first career meeting between former world no. 1 Rafael Nadal and Flavio Cobolli.
Rafael Nadal vs Flavio Cobolli Prediction
Reports circulating online suggest that Nadal is still not serving at 100% because of an abdominal issue. Videos appear to show Nadal deploying a different service motion. However, he’s been hitting the ball at maximum intensity. So, Cobolli can expect a barrage of heavy hitting and a lot of traffic on his side. It’s a nice early test for the 12-time Barcelona Open champion, but if he’s healthy (which is the case right now), you simply cannot pick against him.
