The group stage of the ATP Tour Finals continue on Monday, November 11, with the players of Group Agassi in action, and you can get the preview of Rafael Nadal v Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas v Daniil Medvedev, along with tips and predictions below.
Get the best odds for the ATP Tour Finals 2019 with 888Sport here.[the_ad_group id=”1639″]
*Geo-restrictions apply & pre-funded account needed
Rafael Nadal v Alexander Zverev Predictions & Preview
Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev meet for the sixth time in their careers on the opening day of Group Agassi matches. The newly crowned world number one Nadal, has a 5-0 head-to-head against the German, and will bring a lot of confidence into their respective Tour Finals opener.
The players’ last three meetings have been on clay, where Nadal winning does not come as a surprise; however their last meeting on the faster hard courts was at the 2017 Australian Open, and Zverev in particular has evolved significantly as a player since.
It has been another strong year for Nadal; winning the French & US Opens, as well as the Masters 1000s in Rome and Toronto, along with a runner up showing at the Australian Open and the Wimbledon semi-finals. The Tour finals is one of the few titles that has eluded the Spaniard, who has been a finalist here in 2011 and 2013, but never managed to claim silverware.
In ominous form at the Paris Masters last week, Nadal had to pull out with an abdominal strain before his semi-finals, but is believed to have recovered well, in time for the tournament at the O2 arena in London.
Young Alexander Zverev is the defending champion here at the Tour Finals, having defeated Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals and finals respectively to win the 2018 title. This season however has not been the best for the German who has dealt with both on and off-courts issues with poor form, disappointing losses, and personal issues.
Having won only one title this year at the ATP 250 in Geneva, the German turned his season around after a crucial Laver Cup deciding win. A semi-finalist at the ATP 500 in Beijing, and a finalist at the Masters 1000 in Shanghai on the follow, Zverev was able to capture the seventh spot for the Tour Finals soon thereafter.
An intriguing match ahead of us, where despite the favorable head-to-head in Nadal’s favor, we can expect a close contest this time around. A host of factors come into play, such as Nadal’s fitness, Zverev’s recent run of form, his confidence on the surface, and Nadal’s lack thereof at this arena.
All taken into account, it is still the all-time great Rafael Nadal that Zverev is up against and no match against him is anything less than a challenge. Expect Nadal to get his campaign started with a well-fought three-setter, where experience prevails.
Tip: Nadal to win in three sets: 14/5 (Click here to get these odds with Unibet)
[maxbutton id=”9″]
Daniil Medvedev v Stefanos Tsitsipas Predictions & Preview
Incidentally, the other Group Agassi match is another one where the players are meeting for the sixth time, and here again, Daniil Medvedev brings a 5-0 head-to-head against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
They have met twice this year, once on the Monte Carlo clay, and then recently in the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters, with convincing wins for the Russian both times. Thus far, this match-up has played into Medvedev’s hands with some ease.
Of all the ‘Next Gen’ earmarked as the future of the sport, Daniil Medvedev has had the best year of them all, playing six consecutive finals, winning four titles, including the Masters 1000s at Cincinnati and Shanghai and an intense five-setter against Nadal in the US Open final.
The Russian established himself as the number four player in the world, right behind the ‘Big Three’, and despite withdrawing from a couple of tournaments recently due to fatigue, looks set and ready to go for the Tour Finals, to end the season on a high note.
While Medvedev was the ‘Next Gen’ of the year, his opponent Stefanos Tsitsipas seemed to be the one for the first half of the season. Tsitsipas started the year defeating Roger Federer and qualifying for the Australian Open semi-finals and followed it with titles at Marseille and Estoril, with a strong showing overall on the European clay, and defeating all members of the ‘Big Three’ being another highlight of his year.
The Greek’s season took a dip during the grass and US hard court season, but he has done well to recover during the Asian and indoor swings, being a semi-finalist at the Shanghai Masters, and Basel 500, in addition to being a finalist at the China Open in Beijing. Despite having alluded to overplaying and being fatigued at different points this season, Tsitsipas will be looking for a final strong run this week against the best in the sport.
Another good contest on the cards, and Tsitsipas will be hoping to play at a level that can help him win that first match against Medvedev. Expect this match to be one where the key points make all the difference. Tsitsipas will not go down without a fight, but the Russian is likely to win his opener in a three-setter.
Tip: Medvedev to win in three sets: 27/10 (Click here to get these odds with Unibet)
[maxbutton id=”9″]