World number one Rafael Nadal plays his quarter-final match at the 2020 Australian Open against Austrian Dominic Thiem on Wednesday, January 29. The match is to be scheduled soon and you can find the Rafael Nadal v Dominic Thiem live streaming options along with its preview, head to head and tips here.
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Rafael Nadal v Dominic Thiem Head to Head
This is the 14th meeting between the two players, with Nadal leading the head-to-head 9-4.
Twelve of their thirteen meetings have been on clay. Their only meeting on hard courts was in the fourth round of the 2018 US Open, which Nadal won in an epic five-setter after losing the first set 0-6.
Nadal Has Eyes On Slam # 20
World number one Rafael Nadal has his eyes set on a few records this week. A title here this weekend will equal Roger Federer’s record tally of Grand Slam titles as well as break an 11 year Australian Open drought for Nadal. Additionally, it would also make the him the only person to have won each major title at least twice.
However, there is still plenty of work to be done before Nadal gets to those achievements.
Nadal is in a difficult section of the draw and has come through his first of few potential difficult opponents. Pitted against Aussie Nick Kyrgios, with whom the Spaniard has an interesting rivalry, Nadal came through in another grueling and intense four setter with a scoreline that was similar to their last encounter in the 2019 Wimbledon.
Although not among his favored surfaces, with the assistance of Carlos Moya and his entire team, Nadal has adjusted his game, serve and forehand to be more aggressive on the hard courts and that has paid dividends, as is evident by his US Open wins in 2017 and 2019, as well as being a finalist here last year.
Thiem Looking To Establish Himself Outside Clay
The heir to the ‘King of Clay’ (Nadal), on the red dirt, Dominic Thiem is in his first Australian Open quarterfinal. Earmarked as the successor to Nadal on clay and particularly at Roland Garros, Thiem is looking to establish himself a serious contender outside of clay as well.
After a pulsating fourth round encounter against Rafael Nadal, which he lost in a nail-biting fifth set at the US Open in 2018, Thiem’s hard court performances in 2019 were encouraging.
The Austrian won the Indian Wells Masters 1000 defeating Roger Federer in the final, won the ATP 500 in Beijing and was a finalist at the ATP year-end finals defeating both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic en route.
However, Thiem is still to attain the levels of consistency of his Big Three peers and an unconvincing ATP Cup and shaky start here in Melbourne did not do wonders for his confidence.
That being said, the Austrian has looked sharp in his last two rounds with straight set wins against Taylor Fritz and Gael Monfils and can be expected to give Nadal another stern test in the last eight.
Rafael Nadal v Dominic Thiem Predictions & Tips
Of the four quarterfinals, this promises to be the most difficult to predict and the most intense matchup of them all.
Although Nadal has a convincing lead in the head-to-head, their battles have been monumental and Thiem is able to match Nadal’s stamina and intensity in a manner that very few on the tour ever have.
Given that the match is not on clay will itself give more confidence to the Austrian.
Expect another belter of a five-setter that may well come down to who plays the crucial points better. Not much to choose from between both, once can perhaps think the significantly more experienced Nadal may just inch through to the semi-finals.
Tip: Nadal to win in five sets: 11/2 (Click here to get these odds with Unibet)
You can watch & bet on Rafael Nadal v Dominic Thiem on Wednesday, January 29 here. . Get the latest tennis predictions and tips here.
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