Rafael Nadal will meet Ricardas Berankis in the Second Round of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. The match will be played on Thursday June 30th, 2022.
Rafael Nadal is the second seed here at the Wimbledon Championships and is ranked #4 in the world. The legendary Spaniard is looking to extend his lead in the Grand Slam race over Novak Djokovic, and with the withdrawals of Marin Cilic and Matteo Berrettini his path to the Final is looking much easier. However, it cannot be considered a walk in the park, as he was stretched to the limit in his opener by Francisco Cerundolo before rebounding to win 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. The Argentine played all-out, and really had Nadal under pressure with his aggressiveness, but we again saw Rafa’s mentality shine through when the situation calls for it. His improved serve is a major weapon on this surface, and his all-around game these days will allow him to be much more effective. He is the major favorite here over Ricardas Berankis and it would be a huge shock if he were to even drop a set here.
Ricardas Berankis is unseeded here at the Wimbledon and is ranked outside the top 100 at #106. The Lithuanian overcame a huge test from former Semi-Finalist Sam Querrey, surprisingly winning in straight sets. He was only able to break once in each set but that was all he needed, playing controlled tennis in order to get the win. Berankis has a very solid all-around game with no major weaknesses, but he also has no real weapons either, which makes it very difficult to get any free points. He is not likely to give Rafa Nadal many free points but he will struggle to hit past the Spaniard and this match seems like a huge mountain to climb. Even if Nadal isn’t at his best he should still be able to grind Berankis down, so the underdog is in for a tough time at the office.
This will be a very comfortable win for Rafael Nadal. He is simply too good for Ricardas Berankis, and I am sure that he will be on a mission to not drop a set here like he shockingly did in his previous match. At this stage in his career and given his recent injuries he will be desperate to finish this match as quickly as possible, so I am expecting a straight-sets victory here for the second seed, who will move on to the Third Round here at Wimbledon.