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Rafael Nadal will head to Rome to compete in the 2024 Italian Open, which will run from May 8-19. The Spaniard returned to action at the Barcelona Open, where he made it to the second round. He performed better at the Madrid Open as he managed to reach the fourth round there.
The Italian Open has been a happy hunting ground for Nadal as he has claimed a record 10 titles here. With his comeback picking up some steam, he'll be eager to maintain the momentum with a good run here.
On that note, here's a look at the 22-time Major champion's path to another final at the Italian Open:
R1 opponent - Qualifier
Nadal will commence his Italian Open campaign against a qualifier. The qualifying rounds are still going on, so he won't know his opponent for another day at least. Richard Gasquet, Brandon Nakashima and Cristian Garin are some of the well-known names competing in the qualifying rounds right now.
R2 opponent - Hubert Hurkacz
A win in the first round would pit Nadal against seventh seed Hurkacz in their first tour-level meeting. The latter recently captured his first title on clay at last month's Estoril Open. He then made it to the third round of the Monte-Carlo Masters and the fourth round of the Madrid Open.
However, Hurkacz's dismal 2-4 record at the Italian Open doesn't inspire much confidence in him. Nadal, on the other hand, has a 69-8 record in Rome. Even though the Spaniard is still trying to find his footing on the tour, he'll be favored to edge out the Pole given their respective records at the venue.
Possible R3 opponent - Tomas Martin Etcheverry
Nadal could face a solid clay-court player in the form of Etcheverry in the third round. The Argentine's best results this year have all come on the red dirt, including a couple of semifinal appearances in Houston and Barcelona.
Etcheverry didn't perform well at the Madrid Open and was shown the door in the second round by Denis Shapovalov. The Argentine made it to the second round of the Italian Open on his debut last year.
At his best, Etcheverry could give the Spaniard some trouble but he's too inconsistent these days to do so at the moment.
Possible R4 opponent - Holger Rune
Rune, a runner-up at last year's Italian Open, could await Nadal in the fourth round. The Dane started his clay season with a quarterfinal at the Monte-Carlo Masters, followed by a semifinal at the BMW Open.
Rune was the two-time defending champion at the latter event as well. He made a quick exit from the Madrid Open as he was shown the door by Tallon Griekspoor in the third round.
Rune's a strong player on clay so he could put Nadal under pressure. However, his results have been all over the place this season. Should he make another quick exit, the Spaniard could instead face one of Dusan Lajovic, Lorenzo Sonego or Sebastian Baez at this stage.
Possible QF opponent - Daniil Medvedev
Nadal could face defending champion Medvedev in the quarterfinals. The latter claimed his maiden title on clay here last year. However, the Russian's chances of a successful title defense are in jeopardy.
Medvedev picked up an injury at the Madrid Open and was forced to retire from his quarterfinal clash against Jiri Lehecka after the first set. He could make an early exit from the Italian Open if he's not at his best.
This leaves the door open for Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, among others, to make it this far. If Nadal's body holds up as well, he'll be the favorite to win against all of them.
Possible SF opponent - Stefanos Tsitsipas or Andrey Rublev
Tsitsipas and Rublev have captured titles at this year's Masters 1000 events on clay. The former won the Monte-Carlo Masters, while the latter triumphed at the Madrid Open.
Nadal leads Tsitsipas 7-2 in the head-to-head, and he has the upper hand in his rivalry with Rublev too, which leans 2-1 in his favor. Felix Auger-Aliassime, who reached the final of the Madrid Open, is another dark horse to reach this stage.
Tsitsipas and Rublev both have a win over Nadal on clay. Should the Spaniard meet either of the two here, he could find himself in trouble if he's not at his best.
Possible opponent in the final - Novak Djokovic or Casper Ruud
Nadal's arch-rival Djokovic has landed in the other half of the draw. As such, the two can only meet in the final. The sport's most famous rivalry has been dormant for quite some time. Their last encounter took place at the 2022 French Open, which was won by the Spaniard.
The two have faced off at the Italian Open nine times, with Nadal having a 6-3 edge. Six of these nine meetings were for the title, and the Spaniard emerged victorious on four of those occasions.
Djokovic has been in decent form this year but hasn't reached a final thus far. He began his run on clay with a semifinal finish at the Monte-Carlo Masters. The Serb skipped the Madrid Open after that.
Fans have been itching for these two to entice the world with their fierce competitiveness. A showdown for the title would certainly be worth the wait. Should Djokovic suffer an early exit, the in-form Ruud is a safe bet to make it this far.
Poll : Will Rafael Nadal make a deep run at the 2024 Italian Open?
Yes
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