Honestly, I’m not super excited about the Bastad draw this week. Of course, we find some interesting players like Rublev or Darderi, but overall it lacks a bit of pep.
On paper, Darderi remains the logical favorite to defend his title. He now has a record of 18 wins and 7 losses for the season and seems completely impervious to pressure in this kind of tournament. But there is still a huge ‘but’: I feel he is a bit physically jaded after an already well-filled season.
Rublev will also have his say, he who has always performed well on clay. But honestly, I have a hard time seeing him win here. He still seems a bit short to hold up this kind of draw over a full week.
In short, I think this tournament is likely to be quite open, with perhaps a nice surprise in store. I refuse to believe that Darderi could be trampled twice in a row on the Challenger circuit without reaction. But well, it’s better to laugh about it I think 💀
