Sunday, May 20th, 2012
Rafael Nadal plays his first compettiive match since the US Open on Thursday. He is scheduled to play at 1pm UK Time (2pm CET, 7pm local) againt Belgium”s Ruben Bemelmans.
You can watch Rafael Nadal – for free- via Betfair’s live tennis stream. Sign up for a Betfair account using this link. It costs you nothing. Then find the “live video” section and enjoy.
Nadal’s opponent is ranked 195 in the world.
For Thailand Open title and match odds click here
1/100 Rafael Nadal v Ruben Bemelmans 16/1
2/9 Fernando Verdasco v Benjamin Becker 3/1
2/5 Viktor Troicki v Jarkko Nieminen 15/8
4/6 Olivier Rochus v Michael Kukushkin 6/5
So what do Rafael Nadal and Ruben Bemelmans have in common? Well they are both left handers – after that the careers diverge just a little. Bemelmans will be match sharp and in form having gone through qualifying and beaten Denmark’s Frederik Nielsen in the first round. Nadal has taken the Far East trip seriously, and has been in Thailand for a week or so, practising, painting and engaging in various promotional activities, but its impossible to imagine him being anything other than focused. It’s simply not in his mindset. The question surely is how many games the Belgian can win.
In the other matches, Viktor Troicki, the Serb is in good form and should be able to complete a win using his strong serve over the veteran Finn Jarkko Nieminen, while Fernando Verdasco has been engaging in some martial arts ahead of his game with Benjamin Becker. He should only need his racket to beat the German, while the final match determines Nadal’s likely quarter final opponent as Mikhael Kukushkin takes on Olivier Rochus, the man who beat Juan Martin Del Potro.
We like Viktor Troicki at 2/5 with Betfred to beat Jarkko Nieminen. Use the claim button on the top right to get a free £50 bet from Betfred, while remember BETFAIR is where you can watch Nadal for free.