Wimbledon 2022: Rafael Nadal vs Botic van de Zandschulp preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Rafael Nadal vs (21) Botic van de Zandschulp
Date: July 4, 2022.
Tournament: The Championships, Wimbledon.
Round: Fourth Round (Round of 16).
Venue: London, Great Britain.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Grass.
Prize money: £40,350,000.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Rafael Nadal vs Botic van de Zandschulp preview
Second seed Rafael Nadal will lock horns against 21st seed Botic van de Zandschulp in the fourth round at Wimbledon on Monday.
Nadal is having one of the best seasons of his career. He has an astounding win-rate of 89% and four titles to his name - the Melbourne Summer Set, the Australian Open, the Mexican Open and the French Open.
The 22-time Grand Slam Champion came into Wimbledon for the first time in three years with very little preparation on grass courts. He found his bearings during the first two rounds with hard-fought wins over Francisco Cerundolo and Ricardas Berankis. But he was at his best against Lorenzo Sonego in the third round, scoring a commanding straight-sets victory over the Italian.
Make that 308 Grand Slam match wins for @RafaelNadal 🤯
He beats Lorenzo Sonego 6-1, 6-2, 6-4
#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 https://t.co/GanBJUhoYq
Botic van de Zanschulp is also in the midst of an excellent season. He made the final at Munich and the semifinals at Queen's Club.
The 26-year-old has looked comfortable on grass. He entered Wimbledon on the back of a first-round loss at the Mallorca Championships, but has taken his game to another level at the grasscourt Major.
The Dutchman is through to the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time in his career with emphatic wins over Feliciano Lopez, Emil Ruusuvuori and Richard Gasquet. He showed great character to oust the Frenchman 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-1.
Rafael Nadal vs Botic van de Zandschulp head-to-head
Rafael Nadal leads the head-to-head against Botic van de Zandschulp 1-0. He defeated the World No. 25 at the 2022 French Open in straight sets.
Rafael Nadal vs Botic van de Zandschulp odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Rafael Nadal vs Botic van de Zandschulp prediction
Two-time Wimbledon Champion Nadal will be the favorite heading into this fourth-round clash, but Botic van de Zandschulp is no pushover.
Nadal would have been elated with his performance in the last round, winning 78% of his first-serve points and converting six out of eight break points. After committing a few errors with his groundstrokes in the first two rounds, he's starting to find the lines and his trademark forehand is starting to fire again.
Van de Zandschulp has been quitely putting in the work this season. The Dutchman will be feeling confident after his performance in the last round. He won 85% of his first-serve points and fired down 20 aces against Gasquet.
Van de Zandschulp seems to have a game ideally suited to grass. He serves big and isn't afraid to move in at the net, a tactic he's had significant success with this week.
But Nadal has no real weaknesses in his game at the moment. If he continues playing like he did against Sonego, he will be much too strong for the Dutchman.
Pick: Nadal to win in straight sets.