5 biggest obstacles to a Fedal showdown at US Open 2017

#3 : Fabio Fognini (Nadal’s potential opponent in the 4th Round)

Fabio Fognini - Nadal's conquerer at the 2015 US Open

The man who wears a Skull on his headband, Fabio Fognini is one of the most unpredictable players on the tour. The temperamental Italian can go awfully cold for long periods of time, and can turn the heat up in a matter of a few shots.

Standing at 5 foot 10, the right-hander is one of the only not-so household names who has beaten Rafa Nadal on multiple occasions in the same season. His career head-to-head against Rafa stands at 3-9, but all three of his victories came in the same season, 2 years back, in 2015.

He displayed all his best qualities and shotmaking against Nadal, at the very same tournament, a round earlier (3rd Round), in 2015.

Nadal uncharacteristically blew a two sets to love lead against Fognini at Flushing Meadows (he was 151-0 in Grand Slam matches that he led two sets to love at that point in his career), losing his third match out of four to the Italian at that point in the season (he later beat him on the hard courts in Beijing).

As glorious as Fabio can be on his day, consistency has always been an issue for him. He has not progressed beyond the 4th Round of the US Open, and will need to match his best showing to only set up a potential meeting with Nadal.

Despite being in the same octet of the draw as Berdych, Fognini probably has a better chance of upsetting Nadal than Tomas Berdych, who has beaten Nadal only once since the beginning of 2007, in 19 tries.