Will Nadal drop a set against Sonego?

22 Grand Slam titles have been won by Rafael Nadal so far in the course of his impressive tennis career. However, the Spaniard has celebrated “only” two of these successes on the sacred lawn at Church Road. In 2008 and 2010, the clay-court king prevailed on grass, but has not reached the final of the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world for over ten years now.

That is set to change in 2022, although it was already clear in the first two rounds that the Manacor bull was showing human traits on his weakest surface. The now 36-year-old dropped a set in each, which is why we are somewhat surprised that the odds are once again overwhelmingly in favour of the former world number one in the Lorenzo Sonego vs.

His Italian adversary, who scraped past the top 20 in the world rankings around three months ago, is not expected to spring a surprise, even though the 27-year-old’s strengths are actually well suited to the grass surface. In our eyes, the Spaniard is even somewhat overrated here. In any case, we would refrain from predicting an outright three-set victory for the living tennis legend between Sonego and Nadal.

Lorenzo Sonego – Statistics & current form

Lorenzo Sonego is a very good tennis player. The Italian is currently ranked 54th in the world, although he was also ranked 21st at the beginning of April. After a really good year in 2021, where he reached the semi-finals of the Masters in Rome and the second week of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at the French Open, the current season is going rather slowly.

The 27-year-old has a poor record of 17 wins and 17 losses and has not been able to match last year’s results, especially on his beloved clay court. On grass, on the other hand, the right-hander’s performances have been good lately. In Stuttgart, he only lost in the quarter-finals to compatriot and last year’s finalist Matteo Berrettini in three sets, in London and in Eastbourne he only managed to win one more match, but he still showed his potential several times against good opponents.

Sonego’s game fits well on grass

The 1.91-metre Turin native felt particularly at home on the hallowed turf in London, as his first two appearances at Church Road showed. Sonego won against a strong playing Denis Kudla in five sets, against youngster Hugo Gaston he didn’t give anything away in three sets. All in all, Gipo Arbino’s protégé can be said to be in good form, which could be enough to take at least one set from his favoured opponent in the third round.

This is partly due to his good serve. The Italian, who also reached the last 16 at Wimbledon last year but lost out to Roger Federer, already has 19 aces. In addition, the underdog can rely on a gift that enables him to play himself into a real frenzy. Once he finds his flow on the court, the 27-year-old hardly makes any simple mistakes and becomes a very uncomfortable opponent. Also on Saturday for Rafael Nadal?

Rafael Nadal – Statistics & current form

In perpetuity, Rafael Nadal will go down in tennis history. Not only because the Majorcan won the French Open 14 times, but also because of his total of 22 Grand Slam titles, which are currently not surpassed by any other player. In addition to his outstanding sporting achievements, however, the affable and courteous manner of the popular player will remain in the memory for a long time.

We will probably not see Rafa on the tour for much longer. The now 36-year-old is struggling with recurring foot problems and has missed several tournaments in recent years as a result. However, the Spaniard was usually there at the highlights and usually in top form. The first two appearances of the current fourth in the world rankings must therefore be viewed in a differentiated manner.

Nadal not flawless again?

Physically, Nadal made a decent impression. In terms of play, however, it also became clear that the grass is no longer the clay court king’s dearest friend. With no less than two Wimbledon triumphs (2008 and 2010), however, we are grumbling at an extremely high level. Nonetheless, the veteran dropped one set each against Cerundolo and Berankis.

Against this backdrop, we think it is quite justified to once again place a bet between Sonego and Nadal that the favourite will not win without losing a set.

Lorenzo Sonego – Rafael Nadal Direct Comparison / H2H-Balance

Although both players have spent many years on the tour, this is the first time they have ever faced each other. The setting couldn’t be better, after all, the encounter will take place on the most important tennis court in the world, Wimbledon’s Centre Court

Lorenzo Sonego – Rafael Nadal Tip

Both Lorenzo Sonego and Rafael Nadal have dropped two sets so far in the tournament. While the Italian had to go through five rounds in his opening match and was able to save his strength against Hugo Gaston in round two, the clay-court king had one set stolen by Berankis and one by Cerundolo. Because the world number 54 is certainly a different calibre on grass, the bull from Manacor cannot be expected to march smoothly through to the last 16.

Nadal on grass cannot be compared to Nadal on clay. His spin is nowhere near as effective and the fact that the 22-time Grand Slam champion does not have the regular ace-bringing serve means that the supposed outsider from Turin will definitely get his chances.

We were even a little surprised that the betting odds in the Sonego vs. Nadal clash do not necessarily suggest that the 1.91-metre tall last year’s round of 16 finalist will be able to do anything. But we definitely believe he can win a set, possibly even a second.