ATP Barcelona - DRAW: Rafael, Nadal, Dominic Thiem and Zverev lead field
The 67th edition of the prestigious Trofeo Conde de Godo in Barcelona kicks off on Monday and it stands as one of the strongest ATP tournaments outside Grand Slams and Masters 1000 level, with the first eight seeds all ranked inside the Top 18! Placed at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona, the oldest Spanish tennis club, the first edition was held in 1953 when the American Vic Seixas lifted the trophy. In 1970, Barcelona became a part of the ATP calendar (best-of-five finals until 2006) and Manuel Santana was the first winner in the Open era.
The names like Ilie Nastase, Bjorn Borg, Manuel Orantes, Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander, Carlos Costa, Thomas Muster, Marat Safin, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moya and Kei Nishikori also won the title in the past, but one player is the ultimate Barcelona champion. Rafael Nadal has won 11 crowns so far at one of his favorite tournaments, with the center court carrying his name despite the fact he is still an active player. Following a severe loss in the semi-final in Monte Carlo to Fabio Fognini, Rafa will seek the 12th title in Barcelona and he kicks off the action against Marius Copil or Leonardo Mayer, with a more serious test in round three in Lucas Pouille or the four-time finalist David Ferrer who is playing in Barcelona for the last time.
David Goffin or 2018 finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas should play against Nadal in the quarters and the ultimate champion will have to raise his level in comparison to Monte Carlo to reach the semis. Dominic Thiem, Frances Tiafoe, Pablo Carreno Busta, Juan Ignacio Londero, Benoit Paire, Guido Pella and Karen Khachanov lead the second quarter, hoping to deliver their best tennis and set the possible Nadal clash in the battle for the final. Monte Carlo finalist Fabio Fognini will try to continue his excellent run and overcome challenges from Denis Shapovalov, Martin Klizan, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Kei Nishikori or the American youngsters Reilly Opelka and Taylor Fritz.
In the bottom quarter, Daniil Medvedev, Gilles Simon, Grigor Dimitrov and Alexander Zverev (Grigor and Alexander asked for a wild card) are the main candidates for the last semi-final spot and we should see some exciting matches right from the opening round on Monday.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2vhw7Bw
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