Matteo Berrettini vs. Rafael Nadal: Preview and betting tips

The first semi-final of the Australian Open awaits us on Friday at 4:30am. Matteo Berrettini and Rafael Nadal will face each other in a very interesting duel. How will the match play out?

Both opponents reached the semifinals after the same course. Both were leading 2-0 in the quarterfinals, but lost their lead and had to decide in the fifth set.

Berrettini lost the lead to Monfils, only to have his serve returned in the fifth set and become the first Italian to slip into the semi-finals of the Australian Open. Nadal was leading 2-0 over Shapovalov, only for stomach problems to kick in and the Spanish tennis player had major movement problems. But the pills worked and he confirmed victory in the fifth set.

the 25-year-old native of Rome will rely mainly on his extremely fast serve. His forehand also helps a lot, while his backhand is a bit weak.

Nadal doesn’t have any major weakness. Traditionally dangerous is his lifted forehand, which gives his opponents a lot of trouble. His strongest point, however, is his psyche and mental side. To beat the 35-year-old Spaniard in the final stages of a Grand Slam is almost a superhuman task.

Nadal has an amazing 28-7 record in the semi-finals of Grand Slams. Moreover, he has dominated nine of his last ten duels, the only defeat coming only because of a loss against de Potro at the 2018 US Open.

But if anyone is to beat the Mallorca native, it might just be Berrettini. He is playing in great form in Melbourne and has also improved a lot mentally. He lost the lead 0-2 twice, against Alcaraz and Monfils, but he didn’t collapse once and brought both duels to a victorious end.

The fifth and the seventh player in the ATP rankings have only played each other once. In the semifinals of the US Open in 2019, Nadal won 3-0 after sets of 7-6, 6-4 and 6-1. Since then, the 25-year-old Berrettini has made great strides in his career, but will it be enough to take on one of the best tennis players in history?