Tuesday's action at the Monte Carlo Masters saw Roger Federer making a triumphant return on clay after demolishing Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in straight sets 6-3, 6-4. Now, all eyes will be Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to make their first impression as they are about to kick start their campaign on the red dirt.
Rafael Nadal vs. Aljaz Bedene (2nd round) at 7:00 a.m US ET on Tennis Channel, Sky Sports (UK) / Live Stream on ESPN Watch, SKySports Live Stream / Scores & Stats on Pro Tennis
On the line: Nadal is still looking for his first trophy of the season after he was shut down in his first six tournaments. He had mixed results in his US hard-court stints, reaching the semifinal of Indian Wells Open and bombing out early in the second round of the Miami Masters.
Though this isn't the first time Nadal competed in a clay-court tourney this season (He reached the semis of both tournaments in Brazil and Argentina), the first tournament of the European clay-court season presents a brand new game for Nadal.
ESPN Tennis analyst Greg Garber calls this a make-or-break stretch for Nadal, who has been on a slump the past two years. If Nadal wants to send a message to the rest of the competitors in Monaco, he has to show total control in his first match against Bedene, who by the way has nothing to lose in this one.
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Prediction & Predicted Winner: Nadal is expected to come out with guns blazing in this match. To make things clear, the 26-year old Bedene is no pushover. He just proved it by scoring a dominant straight sets win over Lukas Rosol, the same man that defeated Nadal in Wimbledon few years ago. However, in a preliminary match like this, Nadal will nevertheless cruise to an easy win over the Russian, barring another meltdown. I have Rafa winning 6-2, 6-2.
Novak Djokovic vs. Jiri Vesely (2nd round) at 9:00 a.m US ET on Tennis Channel, Sky Sports (UK) / Live Stream on ESPN Watch, SkySports Live Stream / Score & Stats on Pro Tennis
On the line: Djokovic is the alpha dog of men's tennis today. There are a thousand and one reasons why the Serb is the man to beat in every tournament. This year, the Serb has already racked up four crowns - including the 2016 Australian Open and back-to-back victories at Indian Wells and Miami. In short, Nole is a runaway freak train. It's hard to stop him at this point.
As for Vesely, winning against the world's no.1 would be a big boost to his reputation as an up-and-coming netter. He had significant upset victories against former top-10 campaigner in Gael Monfils and Lleyton Hewitt, but none on the same level as Djokovic.
Prediction & Predicted Winner: It's unthinkable for Djokovic to lose early in this tournament. Thought it had happened before, this Djokovic is much focused and hungry that a first round blunder isn't even possible. Sorry Vesely, but Nole is going to win this one without dropping a set, 6-1, 6-3.