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Match Details
Fixture: (2) Rafael Nadal vs Ricardas Berankis.
Date: June 30, 2022.
Tournament: Wimbledon 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 64).
Venue: London, United Kingdom.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Grass.
Prize money: £40,350,000.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | Canada - TSN | UK - BBC & Eurosport | India - Star Sports & Disney+ Hotstar app.
Rafael Nadal vs Ricardas Berankis preview
22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal will take on World No. 106 Ricardas Berankis in the second round of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships on Thursday.
Nadal commenced his quest for a third Wimbledon title against Francisco Cerundolo. He went up an early break to lead 3-1 in the opening set, but immediately surrendered that advantage as his opponent fought back. The Spaniard saved three break points to for a hold at 5-4 later on.
Nadal then broke Cerundolo's serve in the next game to clinch the set. A solitary break of serve was enough for the former World No. 1 to win the second set. He went up a break in the third set, and it appeared that the Spaniard was on course for a routine win. But Cerundolo broke back immediately and secured another break of serve to lead 5-3.
The Argentine stepped up to serve for the set and, after saving a couple of break points, bagged it on his third opportunity. Cerundolo raced to a 3-1 lead in the fourth set and had four break point chances to further extend it. But Nadal's fighting spirit was on full display as he eked out a gutsy service hold.
Cerundolo then held serve to make it 4-2. Nadal raised his level after that and claimed the next four games to win the match 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
Ricardas Berankis faced a tough opponent in the form of former Wimbledon semifinalist Sam Querrey in the first round. Neither player had a sniff of a break point for most of the first set, but the Lithuanian managed to break his opponent's serve in the final game to claim the opener.
The second set played out in a similar manner, with Berankis breaking Querrey's serve in the final game to clinch it. He raced to a 3-0 lead in the third set and held on to this advantage to win the match 6-4, 7-5, 6-3.
This was Berankis' fourth career victory at Wimbledon and he matched his best result in the tournament by reaching the second round.
Rafael Nadal vs Ricardas Berankis head-to-head
Nadal leads Berankis 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their most recent encounter at this year's Melbourne Summer Set in straight sets.
Rafael Nadal vs Ricardas Berankis odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Rafael Nadal vs Ricardas Berankis prediction
Nadal wasn't at his best in the first round, but that was expected considering it was his first competitive match on grass in three years. The Spaniard hit 23 winners and 41 unforced errors, and will need to clean up his act as the tournament progresses.
Berankis, on the other hand, posted better stats than Nadal in all metrics. With 36 winners and 11 unforced errors, along with winning 85% of his first serve points, the Lithuanian played a great match to oust Querrey. Nadal's serve wasn't up to the mark in his first-round contest, and could be exploited by his opponent.
Berankis lacks the firepower his opponent possesses in his groundstrokes. However, Nadal's forehand looked very shaky against Cerundolo, with most of his errors coming off that wing. The former World No. 1 is undefeated at this year's Grand Slams. He has found a way to turn things around even when he's not at his best.
If Nadal finds himself in trouble against Berankis, he's likely to pull off yet another escape act, but it's unlikely to get to that point for the Spaniard.
Pick: Rafael Nadal to win in straight sets.
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