World number two Rafael Nadal will look to test his fitness in his Australian Open first round match against Serbia’s Laslo Dere on Tuesday February 9th, with the match likely to begin at around 10 am local time (11 pm BST or 6 pm Eastern Time previous day). Get the live streaming options of this Rafael Nadal v Laslo Dere match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Rafael Nadal v Laslo Dere Head to Head
This will be the first ever meeting between the players.
Also Read:
Nadal Back To Be Tested In Opener
Twenty-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal begins his 2021 season, looking for the elusive 21st major that will see him get ahead of Roger Federer in the major count tally. Despite being the 2009 mens’ singles champion here in Melbourne, Australia has brought some mixed emotions for the Spaniard with injuries, withdrawals and heartbreaking losses.
The last couple years have seen the world number two make the finals (2019) and semi-finals (2020) and he will hope to better all of that this time around. With a draw that gets more challenging in the latter rounds understandably, Nadal will be looking for confidence boosting early rounds heading into week two of the slam.
What has been the biggest concern for the Nadal camp since arriving in Australia has been the stiff lower back flare up about a week ago. It has kept him out of the ATP Cup, including Spain’s semi-finals against Italy and while he has said it is nothing worrisome and more precautionary, there is no doubting the fact that it leaves him short on match practice and raises questions if he can be ready to go at Melbourne Park next week .
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Dere Hoping to Make Most of Uphill Battle
25-year-old Serb Laso Dere had a successful run on the ITF Futures circuit before breaking into the main ATP draw during the latter part of the last decade. The Serb was ranked as high as number 27 in the world after a strong run in 2019, but is now ranked just outside the top 50, largely due to a less than promising post-pandemic return to the tour in the latter part of 2020.
Dere did very well to win the ATP 500 at Rio defeating Dominic Thiem in the bargain and top it up with the Sardegna Open win during the inaugural edition last year. 2019 also see him defeat players of the likes of Juan Martin DelPotro as the Serbian moved up the rankings with more poise and confidence.
With the tour looking to be more active and regular in 2021, Dere will be hoping to get his season Down Under off to a strong start and with a fierce competitor like Nadal across the net, the Serb will be hoping to bring his best possible game on the given day,
Nadal v Dere Prediction and Tip
The focus will be more on Nadal’s fitness than anything else in this opener. A healthy Nadal would be an almost certain routine victory; but being out all week with a stiff back raises some concerns. Either way, given that he feels ready enough for the Open, expect a straight sets win for the 20 time major champion
Tip: Nadal to win in straight sets: 2/11 (bet365)
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The 2021 Australian Open will be played from February 8 to 21. You can watch & bet on the these matches here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
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