{"id":33293,"date":"2021-02-28T14:16:04","date_gmt":"2021-02-28T19:16:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=33293"},"modified":"2021-02-28T14:16:04","modified_gmt":"2021-02-28T19:16:04","slug":"atp-rotterdam-day-1-predictions-murray-haase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2021\/02\/28\/atp-rotterdam-day-1-predictions-murray-haase\/","title":{"rendered":"ATP Rotterdam Day 1 Predictions including Andy Murray vs Robin Haase"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week we unfortunately heard the news that World #2 and 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal had withdrawn from the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam. Even with the loss of the superstar, the 500 event in the Netherlands still boasts a very strong field. With new World #3 Daniil Medvedev in the field after his great run to the Australian Open final<\/a>, there\u2019s also the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas<\/a>, Alexander Zverev, and David Goffin<\/a> just coming off a title win in Montpellier. With a field this strong we could be in for a treat of an event. Let\u2019s look ahead at Day 1 matches.<\/p>\n

ATP Rotterdam Day 1 Predictions<\/h2>\n

Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Kei Nishikori<\/h4>\n

Head-to-head: Nishikori 1-0<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you look at Kei Nishikori\u2019s career you just wonder where it all went wrong, from making a Grand Slam final beating Raonic, Wawrinka, and Djokovic en route to leading a Masters final against Nadal by a set and break on clay, it just all never clicked. A huge reason for that mind you are the amount of injuries he\u2019s had and that\u2019s exactly why he\u2019s currently ranked #43 in the world.<\/p>\n

Felix Auger-Aliassime on the other hand might just be the biggest disappointment of all the youngsters in the game right now. We\u2019ve seen countless times that the game is all there<\/a>, his ability, shots off both wings and serve are all great, it\u2019s just the head which lets him down. Being 0-7 in finals and 0-14 in sets as well as losing from two sets to love up in the fourth round of a Grand Slam doesn\u2019t help build the confidence.<\/p>\n

But either way, this is hands down the match of the first round. Coming off four losses in a row, I unfortunately expect a fifth coming up for the Japanese. The young Canadian should possess too much firepower off both wings and an effective serve indoors which makes this a tough opener for Nishikori.
\nPrediction: Auger-Aliasssime in 3<\/em><\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>