ATP Finals 2022: Rafael Nadal vs Casper Ruud preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (1) Rafael Nadal vs (3) Casper Ruud.

Date: November 17, 2022.

Tournament: ATP Finals 2022.

Round: Round robin.

Venue: Pala Alpitour, Turin, Italy.

Category: Year-ending championships.

Surface: Indoor hardcourt.

Prize money: $14,750,000.

Match timing: Not before 2 pm local time, 1 pm GMT, 8 am ET and 6:30 pm IST.

Live telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Amazon Prime Video | India - Sports 18 & Voot.

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Rafael Nadal vs Casper Ruud preview

Rafael Nadal at the 2022 ATP Finals.

22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal will face off against World No. 4 Casper Ruud in the group stage of the 2022 ATP Finals on Thursday.

After a straight-sets loss to Taylor Fritz, Nadal needed to win his next group tie against Felix Auger-Aliassime to have a shot at making it out of the group stage. The Spaniard held a couple of break points in the very first game of the opening set but failed to convert. He had another two chances in the seventh game of the set but fell short yet again.

Auger-Aliassime didn't commit the same mistake, breaking Nadal's serve in the next game. The Canadian then served out the set to take the lead in the match. He snagged an early break to go 3-1 up in the second set. The former World No. 1 had an opportunity to get back on serve but failed to do so.

With Nadal failing to make any inroads, Auger-Aliassime soon closed out the match to win 6-3, 6-4. With this loss, the Spaniard has been knocked out of semifinal contention.

Casper Ruud at the 2022 ATP Finals.

Ruud started his ATP Finals campaign with a win over Auger-Aliassime and took on Taylor Fritz in his next group match. He started the match on a strong note as he jumped to a 3-0 lead. The Norwegian kept his nose in front until the end to clinch the first set.

Ruud faced three break points early on in the second set but fended them off to hold serve. The duo remained quite solid on serve after that. The 23-year-old had a game point to make it 5-5 but instead, Fritz managed to break his serve and grab the set to force a decider.

With neither player managing to break serve in the final set, it went into a tie-break. Ruud led 5-1 and even held a couple of match points, but Fritz fought back to make it 6-6. The Norwegian then won the next couple of points to wrap up the contest 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(6) and secure his spot in the semifinals.

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Rafael Nadal vs Casper Ruud head-to-head

Nadal leads Ruud 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter in the final of the 2022 French Open in straight sets.

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Rafael Nadal vs Casper Ruud odds

Player	Moneyline
Rafael Nadal	+145
Casper Ruud	-190

(Odds sourced from BetMGM)

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Rafael Nadal vs Casper Ruud prediction

Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud at the 2022 French Open.

Having booked a spot in the last four, Ruud will be eager to keep the momentum going. Nadal, on the other hand, has been eliminated from the tournament but will aim to end his season on a winning note.

The Spaniard fought hard against Auger-Aliassime, but a few errors at inopportune moments cost him the match. Nadal is far from his best though, with his backhand being completely off and his serve inconsistent.

Ruud raised his level just in time to come out on top against Fritz. His serve once again helped him out, while his court coverage was impressive. He mixed up his shots quite well too. Given their respective form, it's hard to see the Norwegian losing this one.

Pick: Casper Ruud to win in straight sets.