English 
Worth taking a chance on Nadal’s debut – big odds on the horizon!
After two months out of action, the Spaniard will return to Indian Wells, but his priority is to avoid re-injury.
The men’s field for the Indian Wells 1000 will begin on Wednesday, with Rafa Nadal, who will be back after two months of enforced rest, taking up the racquet.
The Spanish legend has not had the start to the year he would have liked, with a promising return in Brisbane after missing the entire 2023 season, but an injury meant he was unable to play in the Australian Open.
“Not playing the Australian Open is a setback. The tennis was going well, I had good feelings. If I could have played there and then in Doha afterwards, it would have meant I was on track regardless of the results. When you have to stop as an older player, your body is not ready. You need matches to allow your body to adapt to the load. In addition, the risk of injury is higher during breaks. It’s not just about the level of play,” said Nadal.
>> How to bet with bet365 bonus? <<<
Even before Brisbane, Rafa did not have high hopes for a great result, and he arrived in Indian Wells with the only goal in mind: to play tennis again and not get injured before the clay court season.
“I don’t know how my game will be, but that’s the least important thing right now. For me, the priority now is to leave Indian Wells unscathed. Whatever I can still get out of myself I want to do in the clay court season; it’s bound to be my last season, but I haven’t decided 100% yet.”
– said the former three-time tournament champion, who will play Milos Raonic in his first match.
The Canadian is in a similar situation, Raonic returned last year in the middle of the season after a two-year absence and is still nowhere near the level he was at when he was ranked third in the world. This year he has played in two tournaments, the Australian Open and Rotterdam, but both times an injury ended his tournament.
The two players know each other well, having played each other 10 times in their careers. Nadal leads 8-2, but Raonic’s one victory came against the Spaniard in Indian Wells, nine years ago.
Topsters prediction Raonic vs Nadal
Anyone expecting a big sure thing here is in for a disappointment… We will certainly not see a top form Nadal. We’d even venture that she’ll be a little more cautious, as it would be unlucky to pick up another injury. It’s hard to bet on this match, especially as Raonic is not at his best…
There’s nothing to do but either not bet, or go for some big odds. We’re going to go with the latter and say that Nadal will take the first set 7-5 and we’ll give you 15.00 times the pot. Not bad!
