Ryan Sweeting has already gotten farther at Wimbledon in 2011 than ever before, so perhaps his upcoming match with Rafael Nadal can be taken with a grain of salt. But the chance to take on the No. 1 ranked player in the world at Center Court at the All England Croquet and Tennis Club has to be a highlight match for a player currently ranked No. 65 in the world. So how do they match up? Is this an automatic win for Nadal?
In two previous meetings, Nadal has beaten Sweeting in straight sets, so there’s no really no reason to believe that Sweeting will offer much in the way of a challenge for Nadal. In fact, just two months ago at the 2011 BNP Paribas Open, Nadal dominated Sweeting in the third round on his way to the Finals. And Sweeting will be coming off a match in which he battled back down two sets to win the final three just to advance.
The bottom line is that Nadal should sweep another match against an easier American opponent, while Sweeting gets a career highlight to even be at Center Court at Wimbledon in the first place. If he even puts up a fight, that’s simply a bonus.