The A Day at the Drive tournament takes place in Adelaide, and in this analysis I will detail the match between Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem, and I will conclude with the related bet.
Adelaide is a city of 1.3 million people, being the 5th largest city in Australia.
This tournament is demonstrative.
The host is the Memorial Drive Tennis Center complex, which features fast-paced indoor hard courts.
The competition table includes Sinner, Djokovic, Nadal or Thiem.

Rafael Nadal: Team form, news and statistics

Rafael Nadal is a 34-year-old Spaniard, ranked 2nd in the ATP.
And Nadal is one of the great tennis players in history, an athlete who will remain in the memory of all those who watched him play, a player who drastically influenced this sport, not only by his records but also by the fact that he shapes his future.
After all, Rafa already has several tennis academies, many future stars being trained there.
In addition, Nadal is an inspiration for young players, both by what he does on the field but also by his off court attitude.
Nadal has 20 grand slam tournaments, being on the first place all time on a par with Federer, he has 35 Masters 1000 titles, having a few more years in which he can perform.
And his record of 13 titles at Roland Garros will probably remain forever, being extremely hard to match.
In 2020 he has the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, the title at Acapulco, the quarterfinals at Rome, the title at Roland Garros, the semifinals in Paris and the semifinals at the ATP Finals.
Here he plays his first match of 2021.
Obviously, nothing is known about its shape. Both Nadal and his opponent have just come out of quarantine, with limited training time, so it is not known how they will react. Moreover, no one has the whole team with them, Nadal’s coach, Moya, staying at home.
But Rafa has enough experience to handle such moments.

Dominic Thiem: Team form, news and statistics

Dominic Thiem is a 27-year-old Austrian, ranked 3rd in the ATP.
And Thiem is finally a grand slam champion, winning the US Open last year.
Obviously, Dominic is one of the most talented players of his generation, a great champion but he was unlucky with this context in which Nadal and Djokovic recently won almost all major tournaments.
But Thiem has the advantage of age and now, at maturity, he can expect at least one grand slam a year.
It is clear that this year we will no longer have a Nadal – Nole monopoly in grand slams, and Dominic is the first name that can confuse them.
Dominic’s form is a mystery, he just finished his quarantine, in addition to receiving the bad news that his coach Massu cannot come to Australia, although he recovered after having coronavirus.
It remains to be seen how Thiem will handle this situation.
In 2020 he has a final at the Australian Open, a quarterfinal in Rio de Janeiro, a title at the US Open, a quarterfinal at Roland Garros, a quarterfinal in Vienna and a final at the ATP Finals.
And here he plays the first match of 2021.

🎾Statistics of direct matches Rafael Nadal vs Dominic Thiem

In direct meetings the score is 9-6 for Nadal, the last one taking place in 2020 at the ATP Finals when Thiem won 7-6 7-6.

Tennis Prediction of the Day Rafael Nadal vs Dominic Thiem

Rafael Nadal plays here the first match of the year, coming after 14 days of quarantine in which he was allowed limited training time, being without his coach Carlos Moya.
But Nadal has enough experience to know how to handle such situations. In the interviews given this week he was very positive and grateful because he can play in Australia, in addition Nadal being the kind of player always motivated. So even if this match is demonstrative, for fundraising (it is played with spectators), Nadal will be motivated, especially since he doesn’t have much training time before the Australian Open.
In addition, Rafa needs this victory more than his opponent, losing at the limit after 5 tie-breaks the last two direct matches, now being able to stop this trend.
Dominic Thiem is also without a coach, Massu having a recent coronavirus, in addition coming in turn after a quarantine. So it is not known how he will react physically and mentally, he can treat this first match more easily, the only goal being the title at the Australian Open, where he starts among the big favorites.

Prediction Today: Rafael Nadal wins
Stake: 8/10
Odds: 1.87