Luca Nardi - Alexandre Muller predictions and free betting tips [26/05/2024]

A highly intriguing match-up between Luca Nardi and Alexandre Muller is set to unfold. These players always manage to surprise, consistently ranked within the top 100 of the ATP world rankings.

Luca Nardi

The form of the Italian is always fluctuating. At times, Nardi seems poised to reach the peaks of the ‘main’ tournaments, yet tennis connoisseurs often overestimate his abilities.

It's hard to tell which surfaces favour Luca, as he performs equally well or poorly across different terrains. For instance, last season, Nardi clinched two Challenger titles on hard courts and looked fairly impressive in ‘indoor’ ‘lower level tournaments’. This year, Luca secured a trophy at a clay Challenger in Naples, performed admirably at the Masters in Indian Wells—making it to the Round of 16 as a ‘lucky loser’—and reached the final of a hard Challenger in Chennai. Much depends on Nardi’s psychological readiness; sometimes he appears to just be going through the motions, while at other times, his ambition to claim a trophy is so intense that not even strong opponents can stand in his way.

In the first round of Roland Garros, the Italian faces Alexandre Muller, whose tennis is well-constructed and excels in combinatory play. Nardi must be prepared for long rallies and a battle for superiority. Additionally, it will be fascinating to see whether Nardi is psychologically prepared to play against the Frenchman or if Muller’s home crowd support will unsettle him.

Alexandre Muller

The Frenchman has been performing well at the ‘lower level tournaments’ for quite some time, yet he hasn't progressed much beyond the Challenger circuit, despite notable results in some ‘main’ tournaments, both on hard and clay courts.

Last year, Muller won the clay Challenger in Parma (3), reached the final of the ATP 250 in Morocco, and contested the final of the Challenger in Waco. These results seemed poised to advance Muller in the rankings, reaching a career-high of 71, but they lacked the necessary scale to cement his position.

This season, Muller has had commendable performances in two tournaments: on hard courts in Auckland and the clay Masters in Rome. The New Zealand event was successful for Alexandre as he fought through two qualifying matches and subsequently won two main draw matches, only to be outdone by Taro Daniel in the quarter-finals. At the 'thousand series' event in Rome, Muller once again navigated the qualification rounds and overcame several strong opponents in the main draw, bowing out in the Round of 16 to Nicolas Jarry.

At the French Open, Muller will face Luca Nardi in the first round. The Frenchman is proficient on clay, adept at defensive play, and knows when to inject attacking cross-court shots. Thus, Nardi is not favoured in this match-up, displaying less precision and effectiveness in many matches this season against tough opponents.

Head-to-Head

The Frenchman has been outplayed twice by Luca Nardi. In 2022, on the Challenger circuit in Barletta, the Italian won convincingly. This season, at the Masters in Monaco, Muller was defeated by Nardi 2-1.

Match Prediction: Luca Nardi vs. Alexandre Muller

It's worth betting on TO 38.5 games. Expect a closely contested battle, possibly stretching to five sets, but it's unlikely either player will deliver a stellar performance at the onset of the tournament.