After all, he has been champion there twice, is bang in form after a record-stretching 12th French Open, is injury free and last year was a whisker away from reaching the final.
When it comes to producing the raucous atmospheres which help make the Davis Cup unique among tennis events, few do it as well as the Belgians who have reached two of the last three finals, losing on both occasions.
Images from Day 2 of the French Open in Paris on Monday.
It ended a woeful few days for reigning champions Croatia. They left with two losses.
Nadal, is known to have a superior win-loss record over most top players (including Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic), but believe it or not, there are players on the circuit who have an edge over Nadal.
It was a clearly deflated Rafa Nadal who admitted he has no idea whether he can ever reproduce the form that helped him win two Wimbledon titles after maverick Dustin Brown inflicted a fourth successive embarrassment.
Top ranked Serena Williams made a successful return to hard courts with a 6-3, 6-2 thrashing of former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone in the second round of the Rogers Cup on Wednesday.
Friday's showdown will be the 40th meeting between the duo with Rafael Nadal leading 24-15 and 10-3 in Grand Slams.
Rafael Nadal says winning a French Open-Wimbledon double for the third time in his career will be "complicated" but is highly motivated to have a go as he prepares for the grasscourt season.
'I'm feeling good...Expectations are always high. I am not here to play the tournament; I am here to try to have a good result'
Bautista Agut played in Spain's victories over Russia and Croatia but left the team and returned to Castellon after the health of his father Joaquin deteriorated.
The 30-year-old Holland played two Tests in Sri Lanka in 2016 but has not appeared for his country in any format since.
A dominant Rafael Nadal arrived at one career milestone on Thursday but the speed of the Spaniard's rampage through the early rounds of the French Open suggests his eyes are fixed firmly on another more significant one.
Former Australia captain Steve Smith will continue his return to competitive cricket in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) next month after signing up to replace Shakib Al Hasan in the Twenty20 league.
Raucous home support for holders Argentina did not make up for the absence of Juan Martin del Potro and Federico Delbonis on Friday as they fell 2-0 behind to Italy in the first round of the Davis Cup.
Serbia carved out a 2-0 lead over rivals Croatia while Britain led the US by the same score and holders Switzerland were tied with Belgium in the Davis Cup.
Australia and West Indies are set to lock horns in five T20Is and three ODIs in July this year.
Fernando Verdasco sent shockwaves through the Australian Open on Tuesday by defeating Rafael Nadal 7-6(6), 4-6, 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 to send the former world number one crashing out in the opening round.
A quick look at the winners of the 80th Annual Golden Globe awards.
A fired-up Andy Murray showed his class to draw Britain level with Belgium on day one of the Davis Cup final after David Goffin's escape act from a two-set deficit had given the hosts the lead in Ghent on Friday.
Netherlands' Kingma gets four-match suspension for ball-tampering.
A series win will be an ideal confidence booster for India before the visitors hit Test match mode.
World number two Simona Halep beat Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-2 in the China Open third round on Wednesday for her first win over the Russian in eight attempts.
Wimbledon's genteel surrounds resembled Saturday night on a casualty ward as injuries saw seven players withdraw or retire and third seed Maria Sharapova stumble to a shock second-round defeat on Wednesday.
'He knows what works best for him in the shortest format, T20. It's probably just about finding that balance at international level as well'
Leonardo Mayer beat Joao Souza in a Davis Cup singles match that lasted a record six hours and 42 minutes.
Rajasthan Royals captain Ajinkya Rahane lamented his players' inability to build a single partnership of note following their loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League in Hyderabad on Monday.
India needed 14 runs from the last over and Pandya delivered with sixes off the second and fourth deliveries
Hardik Pandya's late cameo and half-century from opener Shikhar Dhawan helped India outclass Australia by six wickets in a high-scoring thriller in the second T20 International to seal the T20 series 2-0, in Sydney, on Sunday.
Simona Halep and Stan Wawrinka beat the heat with straight-sets wins to reach the third round of a sweltering US Open on Thursday while American hope Jack Sock wilted under the punishing conditions, collapsing on court.
Left chasing shadows in the first two games, a listless Indian team would most certainly tweak its bowling combination in order to avoid a second successive clean-sweep when it takes on Australia in the third and final ODI, in Canberra, on Wednesday.
Images from all the action on Day 5 of the Australian Open
Images from the first Twenty20 International between India and Australia, in Canberra, on Friday.
The much-awaited return of David Warner and Steve Smith from their one-year bans has bolstered the team
Aaron Finch's side were bundled out for 89 in the first Twenty20 international against Pakistan as they lost by 66 runs.
Australia captain Aaron Finch says playing in the sub-continent can be intimidating, but having won an ODI series last year, he says 'Knowing that our game plan is good enough to beat India in India, that gives us a lot of confidence going there.'
PHOTOS from day four of the Wimbledon championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London on Thursday.
Australia have dropped Test skipper Tim Paine from their one-day squad for next month's series against South Africa and named opening batsman Aaron Finch as captain in his place.
Roger Federer glided to victory on another hot, steamy day at the US Open, the envy of a clutch of men's players made to work overtime on Tuesday at the season's final Grand Slam.
Hetmyer smacked three sixes and eight fours in his entertaining knock, helping his side chase down a modest target of 128.
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