2011 Barcelona Open: Rafael Nadal vs Gael Monfils – Quarterfinal Preview
Current World Number 1 Rafael Nadal will take on French tennis player Gael Monfils in the first quarterfinal of the 2011 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, which will take place is a few hours. Spectators, fans and critics are looking
forward to the meeting between the two tennis players, especially since Monfils has been playing great tennis this past week. Several sources feel that he may have a real chance at making the quarterfinal an uncomfortable one for Rafael ‘Rafa’ Nadal.
The final eight of the tournament were decided yesterday, and as expected, Rafael Nadal led the pack as top seed. The player, who is in top form at the moment, made short work of Columbia’s Number 1 Santiago Giraldo to reach this
stage of the tournament. Gael Monfils, on the other hand, is seeded seventh at the tournament and scored an easy win over fellow tennis player and Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the third round of the event.
Despite the fact that Gael Monfils has produced some significant victories on clay in his recent matches, the player is still no match for Rafael Nadal. Nadal will be fresh and ready for the first quarterfinal, and even a set against
him is a tall order for the Frenchman. Fans may argue that his impressive clay court results cannot be discounted in this situation, it must be kept in mind that Rafael Nadal is the undisputed King of Clay.
The player has reigned supreme over many clay tournaments for many years now, and has been declared to be the best clay court player in the history of the Open Era of tennis. He recently recorded his seventh victory at the 2011
ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo just days ago, winning the Masters clay event for the seventh time in a row. The player is on the hunt for his sixth title at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, and he is determined to lift the trophy this year.
Another factor which will definitely affect the outcome of the match is the fact that Rafael Nadal has been maintaining a constant winning streak in his clay matches. The last encounter which he lost on the red courts was at Roland
Garros, when he fell apart in the fourth round of the French Open in 2009 due to injuries. In addition to this, Rafael Nadal has the psychological advantage with a head-to-head record of 7-1 against the French pro. His last clay victory over the player was
at the 2010 Madrid Masters, where Nadal defeated the French pro in straight sets.
With the circumstances in mind, it is a safe bet to assume that Gael Monfils will lose this match in straight sets to end his 2011 Barcelona Open campaign in the quarterfinals.
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