French Open 2022: Rafael Nadal vs Jordan Thompson preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Roland Garros

Match Details

Fixture: (5) Rafael Nadal vs Jordan Thompson.

Tournament: French Open 2022.

Round: First round (Round of 128).

Venue: Paris, France.

Category: Grand Slam.

Surface: Outdoor clay.

Prize money: €21,256,800.

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel, NBC Sports, Peacock TV | Canada - TSN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Ten.

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Rafael Nadal vs Jordan Thompson preview

Rafael Nadal at the 2022 Mutua Madrid Open.

Rafael Nadal will commence his quest for a 22nd Grand Slam title at the 2022 French Open against Australia's Jordan Thompson.

Nadal has endured a troubling clay season. Following a brilliant start to the year, which included his triumph at the Australian Open, the Spaniard sustained a rib injury in the final of the Indian Wells Masters. This caused him to miss both the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open.

Nadal returned to action at the Madrid Open. After a first-round bye, he defeated Miomir Kecmanovic in straight sets. He then saved four match points en route to defeating David Goffin in three sets before losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.

Nadal then moved on to the Italian Open, where he was the defending champion. After an opening-round bye, he commenced his title defense with a commanding 6-3, 6-1 win over John Isner. The former World No. 1 started off strongly against Denis Shapovalov in the third round, but eventually lost in three sets. The loss was in part due to a foot injury flaring up again.

Nadal has now arrived in Paris with concerns regarding his fitness and form, but this isn't a new experience for him. As usual, the resilient Spaniard will let his game do the talking.

Jordan Thompson at the 2022 Miami Open.

Jordan Thompson's record during the clay season stands at 2-5 across the ATP and Challenger levels.

He started off with a win over Steven Diez in the ATP 250 event in Houston, but lost to Cristian Garin in the second round. Thompson then suffered a string of losses, failing to win a match at the ATP tournaments in Barcelona and Estoril and the Challenger event in Zagreb.

The Australian finally ended his skid by defeating Remy Bertola in the first round of the Tunis Challenger. He then lost to Filip Misolic in three sets in the second round. Thompson's best result at the French Open has been a third-round showing in 2019. He has failed to get past the first round in the last two editions.

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Rafael Nadal vs Jordan Thompson head-to-head

Nadal leads Thompson 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous match at the 2020 Paris Masters in straight sets.

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Rafael Nadal vs Jordan Thompson odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Sets
Rafael Nadal	-10000	+1.5 (-10000)	3 sets (-400) | 4 sets (+350)
Jordan Thompson	+1350	-1.5 (+1650)	5 sets (+1050)

All odds are sourced from BetMGM.

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Rafael Nadal vs Jordan Thompson prediction

Rafael Nadal at the 2022 Italian Open.

Despite Nadal's less-than-stellar build-up to the French Open, he remains a favorite to win not only this match, but the title as well.

A lot will depend on how Nadal feels physically and how well he's able to execute his game plan. The Spaniard isn't at his best yet, so Thompson does have a shot at challenging him.

The Australian will look to dictate the proceedings with his forehand, but will have to contend with Nadal's equally blistering forehand. As the former World No. 1 has been dealing with a foot injury, the obvious ploy would be to move him all over the court and prolong the rallies. But the Spaniard has the ability to counter this tactic by keeping the points short.

All things considered, the King of Clay may drop a set, but he is unlikely to drop three.

Pick: Rafael Nadal to win in four sets.