Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev in same quarter of Rome draw | ATP Tour | Tennis

World No. 1 Djokovic in same half as Zverev, Ruud, Dimitrov

May 06, 2024

Peter Staples/ATP Tour

Rafael Nadal takes to the practice courts in Rome, where he is a 10-time champion at the ATP Masters 1000 event. By ATP Staff

Could record 10-time champion Rafael Nadal be the one to dash Daniil Medvedev's title defence dreams at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia?

The Spanish great has landed in the same quarter of the draw as the second seed and 2023 champion Medvedev at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000 in Rome. The pair would meet in the quarter-finals, should they each reach that stage at the Foro Italico.

Nadal, who has said this will be his final appearance at an event where he holds a 69-8 record, will face a qualifier in his first-round match in Italy. Should he prevail, he would face a big second-round test against seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz. It would be Nadal's first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with the Pole.

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Medvedev, who will hope to be back at full fitness after retiring from his quarter-final last week in Rome, must prepare for an opening match against Borna Coric or Jack Draper. The 28-year-old produced a memorable run to the trophy last year in Rome, his first tour-level title on clay.

Medvedev and Nadal's potential semi-final opponents include Madrid champion Andrey Rublev, who will aim to maintain his strong form when he plays Emil Ruusuvuori or Marcos Giron in his opening match. The 26-year-old Rublev is seeded to meet Monte-Carlo winner Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals, although he may first have to battle past a home favourite, Matteo Berrettini or Matteo Arnaldi, in the fourth round.

The No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Novak Djokovic will take on Roman Safiullin or a qualifier in his first competitive appearance since Monte-Carlo last month. The 36-year-old, who is a six-time champion in Rome, is seeded to face Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals. Serbia's Djokovic is two match wins shy of his 1100th tour-level career victory.

Djokovic and Ruud's fellow Top 10 stars Alexander Zverev and Grigor Dimitrov are also in the top half of the draw. The third-seeded Zverev, who beat Djokovic in the championship match at the Foro Italico in 2017, starts his campaign against Aleksandar Vukic or a qualifier. The eighth seed Dimitrov, a former Rome semi-finalist, is placed in an intriguing section of the draw that includes 11th seed Taylor Fritz and home favourites Lorenzo Musetti, Flavio Cobolli and Fabio Fognini.

First-round matches to watch out for include two all-Italian battles, which are sure to generate lively atmospheres at a venue renowned for its passionate home support. The former World No. 6 Berrettini plays Stefano Napolitano, while Matteo Gigante meets Giulio Zeppieri.

A pair of #NextGenATP stars will look to impress on their main-draw debuts in Rome. Jakub Mensik starts against Yannick Hanfmann, whom he beat just 11 days ago in the first round in Madrid. The 18-year-old Czech Mensik is a potential third-round opponent for Djokovic, while the 19-year-old American Alex Michelsen starts against Pavel Kotov.

The third #NextGenATP player in the draw, 31st seed Arthur Fils, plays Bucharest champion Marton Fucsovics or a qualifier first as he looks to improve on his second-round run in Rome last year. The 19-year-old Frenchman is the current leader in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah.