Italian Open 2024: Rafael Nadal vs Zizou Bergs preview, head-to-head, prediction, live streaming & telecast details

Published at :May 8, 2024 at 1:58 PM

Modified at :May 8, 2024 at 4:52 PM

(Courtesy : Getty Images and @jmgmoron/X)

This will be the first meeting between both players.

Rafael Nadal’s first-round opponent is Belgian qualifier Zizou Bergs in the Italian Open 2024. Nadal and Bergs are scheduled to face off on Thursday, along with the bottom half of the men’s singles draw.

Since Nadal won the 2005 Internazionali BNL d’Italia title, the Spaniard has dominated the clay courts of Rome along with Novak Djokovic.

The Nadal-Djokovic combo has taken four of the last five Internazionali BNL d’Italia trophies, split evenly at two apiece.

Nadal is in the same part of the draw as defending champion Daniil Medvedev. Waiting for the former World No. 1 in round two is big-serving Pole Hubert Hurkacz. Before entertaining thoughts of a possible quarterfinal clash with Medvedev, Nadal must survive the Hurkacz test.

Zizou Bergs has a win on the Challenger tour this season in Tallahassee and can take heart from that victory as he prepares for the biggest match of his career.

Rafael Nadal vs Zizou Bergs Match Details

Date: May 9th, Thursday

Time: TBD

Venue: Foro Italico, Rome

Rafael Nadal vs Zizou Bergs – Preview

Rafael Nadal showed glimpses of his old self at the Madrid Open 2024 when he won three matches in a row for the first time since the 2022 US Open. Nadal looked like he play a significant role at the Madrid Open until he ran into Jiri Lehecka. The Czech defeated Nadal in two sets, 5-7, 6-4. The Spaniard’s best result in 2024 is making the quarterfinal at Brisbane, an ATP 250 event.

Zizou Bergs, named after French footballer Zinedine Zidane, will be playing the ten-time titlist Nadal in the first round. The 108th-ranked Bergs will be the focus of the tennis world when he walks onto the court on Thursday – for he will be taking on a 22-time Grand Slam winner.

Bergs will be making his Rome debut on Thursday and has two other Masters 1000 main draw matches in his career, including two weeks ago in Madrid. The Miami Masters in 2023 was the first main draw appearance by the Belgian.

Head-to-head records

Matches – 0

Rafael Nadal– 0

Zizou Bergs – 0

Rafael Nadal and Belgian qualifier Zizou Bergs’ first-round match at the 2024 edition of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, will be their first career head-to-head.

Where and how to watch the Italian Open 2024 first-round match between Rafael Nadal and Zizou Bergs in India?

The first round of the 2024 Internazionali BNL d’Italia between Rafael Nadal and Zizou Bergs in India will be broadcast live on the Sony Sports Network in India. SonyLiv – a streaming service by the Sony Network in India, will also cater to viewers in the subcontinent.

Tennis TV, a premium streaming service, will also cater to the needs of Indian fans as the last clay court Masters 1000 tournament of the 2024 season gets underway.

Prediction

The 24-year-old Bergs might have a journeyman status, but he has faced two top ten players this year – Stefanos Tsitsipas, from whom he took a set in the Australian Open, and Andrey Rublev in Rotterdam. Bergs also helped the Belgian squad win their Davis Cup tie against Croatia and book a spot in the 2024 Davis Cup Finals Group Stage in November.

Nadal’s 6-3 record in 2024 might mean he is not the top contender as he heads into the Rome Masters. However, it would not be wise to write off the clay court specialist who has a 478 – 47 (91%) win-loss record on the surface.

That said, the Spaniard is yet to show the mettle of a top-ten player in his final season on the ATP Tour. After relatively easy wins against American wildcard Darwin Blanch in the first round at Madrid and Alex de Minaur in the second round, he labored to a three-hour win over Pedro Cachin. Nadal had no answer to Jiri Lehecka’s 33 winners and bowed out in the fourth round.

Even with Nadal’s best days behind him, the former World No. 1 can be a handful in Rome, where he has plenty of experience and a 69-8 record. It will be hard to imagine a 2024 Rome Masters without Nadal making it to the second week.

Result Prediction: Nadal to win in straight sets.

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