Predictor Picks: Why Nadal & Djokovic are perfect choices for Rome

ATP Tour

The fifth ATP Masters 1000 event of the season is here. The biggest stars in the sport head to the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, where plenty of PIF ATP Rankings points are up for grabs.

Novak Djokovic is back in action, Rafael Nadal continues his return to form and Daniil Medvedev is the defending champion.

Before each tournament week, ATPTour.com looks at three players who might be good selections for fans in the PIF ATP Rankings Predictor.

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Rafael Nadal — defending 0 points

Nadal might not be back to his world-beating best quite yet. But if a 22-time major champion is available for selection in the PIF ATP Rankings Predictor without any points to defend, odds are he is a good player to pick.

It also helps that Nadal has triumphed in Rome a record 10 times and has tallied a 69-8 record at the tournament. In 18 previous appearances, he has made the championship match 12 times.

This will only be Nadal’s fourth tournament since the 2023 Australian Open. However, the lefty, who will play a qualifier in the first round, showed signs of progress in Madrid, where he ousted World No. 11 Alex de Minaur, to whom he lost the previous week in Barcelona.

Novak Djokovic — defending 180 points
The World No. 1 has not competed since Monte-Carlo, but that might play in his favour leading into the final clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event of the season. The Serbian will be fresh and hungry for matches.

One year ago, Djokovic made the quarter-finals at the Foro Italico, so he is defending 180 points. He owns a 67-11 record in Rome, where he last lifted the trophy six times. The 36-year-old has never fallen short of the quarter-finals at the tournament.

Djokovic might not own a title yet this season, but he has made semi-finals at the Australian Open and Monte-Carlo. He will try to advance even further in Italy, where he will begin his tournament against Roman Safiullin or a qualifier.

Grigor Dimitrov — dropping 0 points
Quietly, Dimitrov has been putting together his best season since 2017, when he captured Nitto ATP Finals glory.

The Bulgarian is 22-7 in 2024, including his title in Brisbane and runs to the final in Marseille and Miami. Since he will replace a 0-pointer in his rankings breakdown, he has plenty of points to gain over the coming fortnight.

Dimitrov, who is ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, reached the semi-finals of this event in 2014 and the quarter-finals in 2020. He will open his tournament against Yoshihito Nishioka or Sebastian Ofner.

Bonus Ball — Rafael Nadal
Why select Nadal for your Bonus Ball and not Djokovic? There is no risk.

That is not to say Djokovic will not claim his seventh title at the Foro Italico. But since the Serbian is defending 180 points, he will need to advance to at least the quarter-finals to earn positive points.

Nadal has everything to gain and nothing to lose. Combine that with his record in Rome and improving form, the 36-time Masters 1000 champion can earn fans a lot of points in the PIF ATP Rankings Predictor this week.