Paris Olympics 2024: Rafael Nadal vs Marton Fucsovics preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (PR) Rafael Nadal vs Marton Fucsovics
Date: July 28, 2024
Tournament: Paris Olympics 2024
Round: First Round (Round of 64)
Venue: Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France
Category: Olympics
Surface: Clay
Live Telecast: USA - NBC, Peacock | UK - Eurosport, Discovery+, BBC iPlayer | Canada - CBC Gem, Radio Canada, Tou.tv | India - JioCinema, Sports18
Rafael Nadal vs Marton Fucsovics preview
Rafael Nadal will take on Marton Fucsovics in the first round of the men's singles event at the Paris Olympics on Sunday, July 28. The winner of the match will face Novak Djokovic in the second round.
The Spaniard has won 11 out of 17 matches so far this season, with his most notable performance being reaching the final of the Nordea Open in Bastad. He defeated Leo Borg, Cameron Norrie, Mariano Navone and Duje Ajdukovic before losing to Nuno Borges.
Nadal's run in Bastad saw his ranking rise 100 spots up to 161st. He also reached the fourth round of the Madrid Open and the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International.
Fucsovics has won 11 out of 22 matches so far in the 2024 season, with his best outing being winning the Romanian Open in Bucharest. The Hungarian beat Valentin Vacherot, Tallon Griekspoor, Corentin Moutet and Alejandro Tabilo before triumphing over Mariano Navone to win just the second ATP singles title of his career.
Fucsovics most recently competed at the Generali Open in Kitzbuhel. Austria, and faced seveth seed Roberto Carballes Baena in the opening round. He won the first set but the Spaniard bounced back to register a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win and move on to the second round.
This was the Hungarian's third successive first-round exit at the ATP Tour, remaining winless since his title triumph in Bucharest.
Rafael Nadal vs Marton Fucsovics head-to-head
The two have never locked horns before on the ATP Tour, so their head-to-head is currently tied at 0-0.
Rafael Nadal vs Marton Fucsovics odds
All odds sourced from BETMGM.
Rafael Nadal vs Marton Fucsovics prediction
While Nadal may not be at his absolute best, Roland Garros often brings the best out of him. However, Fucsovics did manage to win a tournament on clay this season after beating three opponents who were ranked higher than him.
The Spaniard's main question has been fitness and his coach Carlos Moya recently spoke of an injury scare. However, he competed in doubles and won his opening match with Carlos Alcaraz, so we can expect him to put up a good show on Sunday. Nadal's quality on clay has been historically impeccable and even when he isn't at his best, there are few who can better him.
Fucsovics has a pretty effective serve that has fetched him 42 aces on clay so far in 2024. The Hungarian likes a physical game and will look to be as aggressive he can against Nadal in order to tire him out. However, his resilience will also be put to the test.
In terms of recent form, Rafael Nadal has an advantage over Fucsovics and there is a good chance he could hand the Hungarian his fourth successive tour-level defeat.
Pick: Nadal to win in straight sets.