Barcelona
The ATP World Tour 500 clay-court tournament hosts for the 60th time and is one of the most significant events in Spanish tennis. Rafael Nadal has won six times in the past seven years and the Spanish Armada are in full force.
Sleeper hit of the year Tomaz Bellucci, had a great win of David Ferrer in Monte Carlo and should be build on this confidence boosting win, since very few people beat Ferrer on clay these days. Robin ‘Schlobber’ Haase, Kei Nishikori and Tomas Berdych looked comfortable on the clay, which were a surprise. Popcorn 1st rounder is Bernard ‘Atomic’ Tomic vs. Ernests Gulbis
It’s not brave to pick Nadal, but this is the era we are in right now.
Let’s break it down:
ATP Level: 500
Surface: Clay
Defending Champion: Rafael Nadal
Sleepers: Pablo ‘Honey’ Andujar, Albert Ramos, Robin Haase
My pick: Rafael Nadal
Did You Know: Spanish winners include Rafael Nadal, Fernando Verdasco, Tommy Robredo, Carlos Moya, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Felix Mantilla, Albert Costa, Carlos Costa, Emilio Sanchez
Bucharest
The lesser of the two events this week still boasts a decent field, spearheaded by red-hot Gilles Simon. Defending champ Florian Mayer has struggled of late and I’m liking the Italian quartet of Fabio Fognini, Andreas Seppi, Filippo Volandri and Potito ‘Salad’ Starace. They rarely win titles but perform well on clay and win matches.
Jeremy Chardy is in form and could bounce a few top players and the evergreen Jurgen ‘Tuna’ Melzer looks good for a semi-final. If Gilles Simon has some energy left from Monte Carlo, he should win his 10th title here. Popcorn 1st rounder is Grigor ‘Baby Fed’ Dimitrov vs. ‘Professor’ Xavier Malisse
Let’s break it down:
ATP Level: 250
Surface: Clay
Defending Champion: Florian Mayer
Sleepers: Jeremy Chardy, Lukas Lacko, Cedrik Marcel Stebe
My pick: Gilles Simon
Watch: Bucharest Uncovered
Thanks for reading and check back next week for more predictions!
