The Spaniard will make his debut this Sunday at the ATP Finals, the major tournament he has never won
“I’m here to get the best possible result. If I didn’t think I couldn’t win, I wouldn’t be here,” said Rafa Nadal. A few words pointing to a clear goal: to face the thorn in the side of the ATP Finals, the big tournament that yearns for the Spanish record.
With countless titles and accolades under his belt, Nadal only needs to win the master tournament; the jewel in the ATP crown that brings together the top eight tennis players of the year at the end of the season. In his ten appearances, which would be many more if he hadn’t had so many injuries, he has only managed to reach two finals: in 2010 he lost to Roger Federer and in 2013 to Novak Djokovic. Nadal played against the handicap that the tournament comes at the most exhausting time of the season and that it has always been played on concrete and indoors, the worst conditions for the man from Manacor to play.
“I had to get better on the indoor track. This is the reality. I’ve qualified 17 times, but I’ve been uncompetitive 17 times. I don’t know how many times I’ve been able to play this tournament with real options. Historically, the indoor track was the worst surface for me, but I think I have improved on this surface in recent years,” said Nadal, who arrives this year with the doubts that arose in Paris when he could only play one game. .
The Spaniard returned to the official match at Paris-Bercy after a two-month absence due to the birth of his first child, losing to Tommy Paul on his debut after a highly irregular third set that cast doubt on his physical condition.
This weekend, he explained that he suffered from a stomach ache in that match, but nevertheless played well for a set and a half, which gives him hope to do well in Turin, where luck was on his side in the draw. Nadal evaded Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev in the group stage and was trapped with Felix Auger-Aliassime, Casper Ruud and Taylor Fritz. He will make his debut against the latter on Sunday, not before 9 p.m. Spanish time.
The game against Fritz will be the third of the year between these two tennis players, with the previous two marked by physical problems for Nadal, who lost in the Indian Wells final with a broken rib and won at Wimbledon, despite the fact that he played much of the game. the competition with an abdominal rupture.
Alcaraz, held by the Manacorense
This debut is also watched from a distance by Carlos Alcaraz, who, due to his abdominal injury, is dependent on the Spaniard’s performance in Turin to finish the year as number one in the world. Nadal must win the tournament undefeated or by losing one or two games in the group stage, or reach the final by winning all four previous encounters. In other words, to finish the course on top for the sixth time in his career, Nadal would suffice with a repeat of the performances of 2010 and 2013. The podium will be the Alpitour pavilion and Nadal will be accompanied for the first time be by his son, born at the beginning of October.
The green group kicks off the tournament, with the duel between Ruud and Auger-Aliassime not until 3 p.m., followed by Nadal and Fritz on the night shift. On Sunday Andrey Rublev will play Medvedev in the day shift and Djokovic against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the night shift. The Serb is aiming to win his sixth twist as a master, the first since 2015, which would tie Federer as the tennis player with the most titles.
Source: La Verdad
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