20-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal will begin his search for a maiden ATP Tour Finals title against first time entrant from Russia, Andrey Rublev in the opening group stage match of the 2020 ATP Finals. The match is scheduled for Sunday, November 15 and will begin at 8 pm local time (3 pm Eastern Time). Get the live streaming options of this Rafael Nadal v Andrey Rublev match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
Looking to watch the ATP Finals 2020 live streaming online?
- For tennis fans in the UK, Europe, Australia & elsewhere go to bet365 > Tennis > Live Streaming here* to watch & bet on the ATP & WTA tennis live.
- Get all the other ATP Finals Live Streaming Options Here
[the_ad id=”14063″]
*Geo-restrictions apply & pre-funded account needed
Rafael Nadal v Andrey Rublev Head to Head
This will be the second meeting between both players. Their only meeting was at the 2017 US Open quarter-finals where Nadal dispatched a little known Rublev dropping only give games.
Also Read:
Nadal Hoping To Recover From Disappointing Bercy Outing
The twenty time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal arrives at the ATP Tour Finals for a 16th consecutive appearance with a rather dismal 18-14 record at this tournament for a player of his stature.
The year-end tournament has always been a difficult stop for him, given the wear and tear on the body by the end of the season and the indoor surfaces not being his favorite. Nadal has been a runner-up twice at the Tour Finals and will be looking for that maiden title, which will add to his two other indoor titles thus far in his career.
2020 has been a good season for Nadal again, winning titles at Acapulco right before the Covid-19 break, and winning his 20th Grand Slam with a very convincing win against world number one Novak Djokovic in the final at the French Open.
Nadal returned to the indoor swing last week at the Paris Masters and it was a rough tournament for the Spaniard. Being stretched early by countrymen Feliciano Lopez and Pablo Carreno Busta, Nadal was defeated in straight sets in the semi-finals by rising German star Alexander Zverev.
Nadal was unable to make it out of the group stages in 2019 and will be hoping to do better this time around. With the likes of Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev in his group, the task will not be easy and the world number two will be hoping to get off to a good start early on in the tournament.
[the_ad id=”30344″]
Rublev Juggernaut Has Been Unstoppable
An injury prone 2018 seems a distant memory for Andrey Rublev. It has been a phenomenal 2020 for the young Russian who was won five tournaments this year (more than anyone on the tour) already on hard courts, clay and indoors, at Doha, Adelaide, Hamburg, St.Petersburg and Vienna.
Rublev looked a favorite for the Paris Masters 1000 as well, but lost a hard fought battle to veteran Swiss Stan Wawrinka.
The Russian broke into the top ten of the ATP rankings at the back of his phenomenal run, and also qualified for the Tour Finals for the first time in his career. Although the tournament involves the best in the sport at the moment, Rublev’s confidence given recent form and comfort on the faster indoor surfaces will hold him in good stead.
The world number world eight last played Nadal when he was a new name on the circuit and was probably euphoric having just beaten the then top five ranked Grigor Dimitrov at the US Open. But, a lot has evolved in Rublev’s tennis and personality since and he will not be a pushover for any of his opponents.
Rublev will take heart from the fact that he only recently defeated Dominic Thiem convincingly in Vienna and split 1-1 with Stefanos Tsitsipas at Hamburg and Roland Garros respectively.
Nadal v Rublev Prediction and Tip
Rublev has been in the form of his life and been one of the players of the shortened 2020 season. However, this is the biggest stage and no match against Nadal is easy. Expect the years of Nadal experience to prevail in two tight sets.
Tip: Nadal to win: 8/11 (bet365)
The 2020 ATP Finals will be played from November 15 to November 22. You can watch & bet on the ATP Finals here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
Be the first to comment