Nadal vs Draper: prediction for the Australian Open match
Rafael Nadal goes against Jack Draper in the first-round match of the 2023 Australian Open. Who will progress to the next round? Here's our prediction.

Command Analysis

Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal had a disappointing start to the new tour. At the United Cup, he lost two out of two matches. First, he yeilded to Cameron Norrie in three sets, and then was outplayed by Alex De Minaur. Last season, Nadal won the Australian Open. In the final of the Major, the Spaniard celebrated success over Daniil Medvedev.

Jack Draper

Jack Draper is in good shape. Last week, he reached the semifinals of the tournament in Adelaide. On his way to the semifinals, Draper defeated Lorenzo Sonego, Tommy Paul, and Karen Khachanov only to be outplayed by the eventual winner of the tournament, Kwon Soon-woo. This will be the first final stage of the Australian Open for the Briton.
Trends
СтавкаTie-break - no
Nadal has played only 1 tie-break in his last 5 matches.

Ставка1st set: total over 9.5 games
Draper's last 5 matches had over 9 games in the first set.

Tip and bets
Many tennis experts are not convinced by Nadal and predict his early exit at the Australian Open. We, however, believe he can still surprise us. Nadal will give his best and should beat Draper in the opening round.
Our prediction - handicap (-5) to Nadal
Despite showing poor performance at the United Cup, Rafa is unlikely to disappoint at the Australian Open. We expect him to close the 21-year-old Draper in three sets.
Second prediction - total under 37 games