3 First-round matches at Brisbane International to look out for ft. Rafael Nadal vs. Dominic Thiem
The main draw of the Brisbane International tennis tournament, the comeback tournament for Rafael Nadal and also the inaugural competition of the new tennis season, started on Sunday, Dec. 31, in Australia.
The first round of matches will be played on three consecutive days beginning from Sunday, and Rafael Nadal is going to be the star-attraction of the tournament.
However, 20-year-old Holger Rune will be the top seed. Rune will also be one of the favourites to win the whole thing, and thereby stake his claim as one of the contenders for the Australian Open too.
On that note, let us take a look at three first-round matches to look out for in the tournament:
#3. Sebastian Korda vs. Yannick Hanfmann:
There are very few players in the world of tennis as easy on the eye as Korda is. The American will take on the big German, Yannick Hanfmann, in the first round in a battle between Hanfmann's power and Korda's flair.
Hanfmann is a big-serving player and rose to a career-high rank of 45 in 2023. He should be able to put Korda's return of serve to some stern test. However, Korda, who is ranked 24th in the world, should have enough at his disposal to see off the German.
The 23-year-old will also have some good memories of Australia, as he reached the final of the Adelaide International, and the quarterfinal of the Australian Open in 2023.
#2. Grigor Dimitrov vs. Andy Murray
It should be an interesting battle between two veterans of tennis. Dimitrov, the 32-year-old Bulgarian, has had a fine 2023 and risen to the 14th rank in the world. He will try to continue his good run in Australia.
However, 36-year-old Murray will not be ready to give up without a fight. The Brit should try to engage Dimitrov in crosscourt backhand exchanges, trying to exploit the his weaker backhand, and making use of his own powerful backhand.
Still, Dimitrov should start as the favourite in the match, given his strong current form. Both players should now look to make the most of time left for them at the top.
#1. Rafael Nadal vs. Dominic Thiem
Nadal's comeback is a much anticipated one, as the 37-year-old has already declared that 2024 will be his last year as a tennis player. Thiem, who has come through qualifiers in Brisbane, might pose a stiff challenge to the Spaniard with his skill-set and experience.
It should be an interesting battle between Nadal’s crosscourt forehand and Thiem's beautiful one-handed backhand. The 30-year-old Austrian's ability to hit the down-the-line backhand might prove to be decisive in that regard.
The two players have had some epic clashes on clay, but have not come across each other on hard courts that often. However, it remains to be seen whether Nadal is fully fit at the moment.
If the Spaniard has recovered fully, his clash with Thiem should prove to be an absorbing one. A good run in Brisbane will give the Spaniard some much-needed confidence ahead of the Australian Open a week later.