Australian Open 2022: Rafael Nadal vs Marcos Giron preview, head-to-head and prediction

Match Details

Fixture: (6) Rafael Nadal vs Marcos Giron

Date: 17 January 2022

Tournament: Australian Open 2022

Round: First round (Round of 128)

Venue: Melbourne Park

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Hard

Prize Money: $75,000,000

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six/Sony Liv

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Rafael Nadal vs Marcos Giron preview

Rafael Nadal at the 2022 Melbourne Summer Set.

Sixth seed Rafael Nadal will lock horns with World No. 66 Marcos Giron in the opening round of the 2022 Australian Open on Monday.

Nadal made a successful start to the 2022 season by winning his 89th career title at the Melbourne Summer Set. The Spaniard was playing his first professional tournament in four months after ending his 2021 season in August due to a foot injury.

Nadal is eyeing a second Australian Open title to complete a double Career Grand Slam. He's also looking to become the first male player to win 21 Grand Slam titles.

But his path to the final is tricky, as he may have to go through players like Karen Khachanov, Hubert Hurkacz and Alexander Zverev just to reach the semifinals. He could face Novak Djokovic in the last four if the World No. 1 is allowed to compete in the tournament.

However, the Spaniard cannot afford to look beyond his opening fixture against Giron.

Marcos Giron at the Tokyo Olympics.

The American had the most successful season of his career in 2021. He reached the third round at a Grand Slam for the first time at Roland Garros.He also reached his first career semifinal at the Sofia Open and made the quarterfinals of three other tournaments. His results propelled him to a career-high ranking of 57 in November.

However, Giron made a less than stellar start to 2022, losing in the opening rounds of both the tournaments he competed in.

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Rafael Nadal vs Marcos Giron head-to-head

This will be the first meeting between the two, so the head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.

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Rafael Nadal vs Marcos Giron prediction

Nadal at a practice session ahead of the 2022 Australian Open.

Rafael Nadal is the overwhelming favorite, given the disparity in the rankings, experience and achievements of the two players. Giron and Nadal also made contrasting starts to the 2022 season, with the Spaniard winning a title and the American failing to win a single match.

Giron has a steady game and is capable of dictating play from the baseline, but he will need to do a lot more than that against the former World No. 1. He will have to be ultra-aggressive and go for broke early in the rallies. That's easier said than done against a player of Nadal's caliber.

The Spaniard looked in fine touch at the Melbourne Summer Set, winning the tournament without dropping a set. Moreover, he hasn't lost before the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in the previous five editions.

Giron, on the other hand, hasn't been past the first round yet. Unfortunately for the American, that record is unlikely to change this year.

Prediction: Rafael Nadal to win in straight sets.