Will Nadal remain unbeaten at GS level in 2022?

This year’s 135th All England Tennis Championships at Wimbledon’s Church Road may not feature any points, but that doesn’t make the tournament any less valuable among the pros. After all, this is probably the most prestigious tennis tournament.

In the meantime, there is no longer a lush green to be seen on the tennis courts, but the wear and tear of the last one and a half weeks is clearly visible. Finally, the tournament is entering the home stretch. It will still take a little while until the men’s final on Sunday, first of all the semi-finalists have to be determined – among others in the duel Taylor Fritz against Rafael Nadal.

This is a generation duel, after all, the Spaniard Rafael Nadal is a whole twelve years older than his American counterpart. In terms of experience, Fritz certainly can’t hold a candle to his opponent. This is the first time Fritz has reached a GS quarter-final, while Nadal is dreaming of his 23rd Grand Slam title. For the bookmakers, the Majorcan is the clear favourite, after all, odds of around 1.35 are offered for the world number two between Fritz and Nadal. If the US boy wins, the odds are more than three times as high.

Although Fritz lags well behind in terms of experience, he does have one experience that Nadal has yet to match. Nadal recently confirmed that he is going to be a dad for the first time. Fritz got married when he was 18 and became a dad back in 2017.

Taylor Fritz – statistics & current form

Married at 18, dad at 21 – Fritz has already experienced a lot at a young age. Even though his marriage has since broken down, Fritz is considered a player who acted very maturely at a young age. The birth of his son in 2017 was also a great motivation for Fritz, who made his breakthrough this year.

In the meantime, three ATP titles are on the credit side. After winning the title in Eastbourne in 2019 on grass, he celebrated his first Masters triumph in Indian Wells this year. Just before Wimbledon, he again underlined his qualities on grass in Eastbourne, defeating service monster Maxime Cressy in three sets.

Without losing a set into the quarterfinals

The tournament win in Eastbourne was enormously important for the self-confidence of the now 24-year-old. The switch from clay to grass did not work out at first and Fritz was defeated in the first round both in s’Hertogenbosch and at the Queens Club in London. Especially the clear 3:6 and 2:6 against Jack Draper did not indicate his strong grass court qualities.

After the success in Eastbourne, Taylor Fritz marches through the tournament at Wimbledon. On the way to his very first Grand Slam quarter-final, the US boy did not even have to drop a set. On grass, breaks are relatively rare and many sets are only decided in a tiebreak, but Fritz only had to go to a short decision in two of the twelve sets played. Fritz is brimming with self-confidence and currently commits hardly any avoidable errors.

Nevertheless, the performances should not be overrated, because a look at the competitors so far suggests a very good draw. Lorenzo Musetti (clay court specialist), Alistar Gray (wild card player), Alex Molcan (clay court specialist) and Jason Kubler (qualifier) were not the really big opponents. But the clear victory against grass court specialist Kubler was nevertheless a statement to the competition. Nevertheless, between Fritz and Nadal, a prediction on the US American’s success is too risky.

Rafael Nadal – Statistics & current form

After his 22nd Grand Slam title in Paris, Rafael Nadal still left his start at Wimbledon open. His chronic foot problems even caused some tennis fans to fear that he might end his career after the triumph in his living room. Instead of ending his successful career, there is far nicer news – his childhood sweetheart Francisca Perello is pregnant.

Slow turf a big advantage

Nadal also confirmed he would start at Wimbledon relatively quickly, but opted not to play a preparatory tournament on grass. At the age of 36, however, Nadal is experienced enough to adapt quickly to the new conditions. In addition, the development of the last few years is certainly to his advantage.

At the beginning of his successful career, grass court tennis was not suited to his style of play. In the meantime, however, the surface has become much slower and even a pure baseline player has the necessary means to prevail on the holy turf of Church Road. The steady path to the net is still a tried and tested means, but no longer imperative.

On his way to the quarter-finals, Nadal, in contrast to Fritz, has already had to do two laps of honour. In both rounds one and two, he needed four runs to secure victory. In the round of 16 against Botic van de Zandschulp, Nadal also had a brief lull and was down 3:5 in the third set. However, he managed the re-break and kept his nerve in the tie-break to secure his place in the top eight.

There is no sign of his foot problems in Wimbledon, the Spaniard is moving very well.

Taylor Fritz – Rafael Nadal Direct comparison / H2H record

Head to Head: 1:1

The US American Taylor Fritz and Rafael Nadal have only faced each other twice on the ATP Tour. Both duels were tournament finals at the same time. In February 2020, Nadal celebrated a clear victory in two sets in Acapulco, Mexico. The second duel took place at the Masters Tournament in Indian Wells in March 2022. Taylor Fritz kept the upper hand and stopped the Spaniard’s run of success. The defeat on 20 March was Nadal’s first loss in 2022.

Taylor Fritz – Rafael Nadal Tip

The first big task awaits Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon. The Majorcan is certainly warned after his defeat in Indian Wells, and Fritz is the only player in the men’s competition who has not lost a round so far. Nevertheless, it is not advisable to make a prediction on the US American in the duel between Fritz and Nadal. Fritz’s opponents have not even been close to the level of Rafael Nadal.

22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal is largely on his best behaviour at Church Road. Nevertheless, the 36-year-old keeps having little lapses and offers his opponents chances. Fritz, with his strong serve, certainly has the quality to exploit such slips and keep the match close. Therefore, the tips “Over 38.5 Games” and Fritz +4.5 Games are recommended between Fritz and Nadal. The most interesting betting odds, however, are to be found in a 3:1/3:2 win for Nadal. In the end, the experience and quality of the Majorcan will probably prevail, just not in three sets.