Day 4 at the ATP Cup feature some mouth-watering clashes. World no.1 Rafael Nadal will be taking on Pablo Cuevas, who has beaten the Spaniard once before. And world no. 2 Novak Djokovic will face the veteran Gael Monfils in their second match of the tournament. Who will win and make their countries proud?
ATP Cup Day 4 Predictions
Dominic Thiem vs Diego Schwartzman
Head-to-head: Thiem leads 5-2
The pair are good friends and have shared some fantastic battles in the last few years. They have met a total of three times on hard courts, which the Austrian narrowly leads their record 2-1. This could prove to be a tricky match for the Austrian, as three of their last four matches against each other have gone the distance.
Thiem should win this one though. The Austrian will be wanting to prove a point after losing in his first match a few days ago.
Prediction: Thiem in 3
Borna Coric vs Hubert Hurkacz
Head-to-head: Coric leads 1-0
The battle of the youngsters, this one. Both players caused major upsets by winning their opening match. The Croat stunned Dominic Thiem in a three-setter, whereas the Pole beat Diego Schwartzman in a three-setter as well. This will be a close match as both players like to be aggressive at the baseline. But Coric does have more experience and is a bit more consistent than Hurkacz at the moment. This could be the deciding factor in terms of who wins this match.
Prediction: Coric in 3
Rafael Nadal vs Pablo Cuevas
Head-to-head: Nadal leads 4-1
Pablo Cuevas was beaten in 54 minutes by Yoshihito Nishioka 6-0 6-1 in the opening match. It will be tough for the Uruguayan to cause a major upset here against the current world no. 1 and a 19-time major champion. The Spaniard should get through this match in straight sets and without too many problems. Nadal will know this match will give Team Spain a crucial point to win the tie and advance to the next stage of the ATP Cup.
Prediction: Nadal in 2
Novak Djokovic vs Gael Monfils
Head-to-head: Djokovic leads 15-0
Novak Djokovic was visibly frustrated at times in his first match against Kevin Anderson. But it could simply be some rust in his game as it is his first match of the season. Nevertheless, the world no. 1 got the job done in two tight sets.
Monfils, who has never beaten the Serb in 15 attempts, will know this stat in his head. Surely, this will be mentally demoralizing for anyone to know the person standing on the other side of the net has beaten you 15 times in a row. It could be a three-setter, but it will be difficult for Monfils to close out the match.
Prediction: Djokovic in 3
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