2019 Wimbledon Championships – Joao Sousa vs Rafael Nadal Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
Where is Joao Sousa vs Rafael Nadal taking place? All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London
When is Joao Sousa vs Rafael Nadal on and what time does it start? Monday 8th July, 2019 – (not before) TBC (UK)
What is the expected weather for Joao Sousa vs Rafael Nadal? Partly cloudy with a temperature around 21c
What channel is Joao Sousa vs Rafael Nadal on? Matches will air on BBC1, BBC2 and BBC Red Button throughout the tournament
Where can I stream Joao Sousa vs Rafael Nadal? BBC iPlayer / BBC Sport website / BBC Sport app
Where can I get tickets for Joao Sousa vs Rafael Nadal?
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THE LOWDOWN
HEAD-TO-HEAD
All-time meetings: Rafael Nadal 2-0 Joao Sousa
Last meeting: Rafael Nadal beat Joao Sousa 6-0, 4-6, 6-3
JOAO SOUSA
- Joao Sousa came through a marathon third-round match on Court 1 against a well-supported and spirited Dan Evans in five sets.
- The 30-year-old Portuguese will face Spaniard Rafael Nadal for the third time in his career in the round of 16 and has never beaten the world number two.
- Sousa and his partner Leonardo Mayer lost in the second round of the men’s doubles on Friday and so he can focus fully on his best Grand Slam singles campaign to date.
RAFAEL NADAL
- Rafael Nadal looked fierce and focused in his straight-sets third-round win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and the Spaniard reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon for the ninth time.
- The 33-year-old has beaten Joao Sousa in both their previous meetings, both of which were quarter-finals at clay-court tournaments.
- Nadal has played three starkly different matches so far but he did not face a break point in his third-round match and that spells trouble for the rest of the draw.
THE PREDICTION
It looks as if Rafael Nadal’s showdown with Nick Kyrgios in the second round has done him the world of good as the Spaniard completely outclassed an excellent grass-court player in Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the third. Nadal looks hungrier for a Wimbledon title than he has in years and could be on his way to another epic with world number one Novak Djokovic, this time in the final. First of all he must beat Joao Sousa for a third time, with the Portuguese’s excellent Wimbledon campaign likely to come to a blistering end in straight sets.
