atp tour finals nadal

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Rafael Nadal - Taylor Fritz

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Players overview.

• ATP ranking -
• ATP points -
• Height 1.85m
• Weight 85kg

• ATP ranking 13
• ATP points 2560
• Height 1.93m

Latest news

Fritz stuns top seed nadal with straight-sets win in atp finals opener.

13/11/2022 at 22:27

'I regret saying that' - Tsitsipas apologises to Rublev for ATP Finals remarks

05/12/2022 at 08:52

LIVE MATCH: Rafael Nadal vs Taylor Fritz

ATP Finals - November 13th, 2022

Follow the ATP Finals Tennis match between Rafael Nadal and Taylor Fritz live with Eurosport. The match starts at 8:00 PM on November 13th, 2022.

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Nadal beats Federer at ATP World Tour Finals

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LONDON (AP) — Defending champion Novak Djokovic set up an enticing final against Rafael Nadal with a clinical 6-3, 6-3 win over Stanislas Wawrinka at the ATP World Tour Finals on Sunday.

Unbeaten in his round robin matches this week, the second-seeded Djokovic extended his winning streak to 21 matches since losing in the U.S. Open to Nadal, who he will meet in Monday’s final.

Nadal ended Roger Federer’s hopes of finishing a disappointing season on a high note in the other semifinal, defeating the six-time champion 7-5, 6-3.

Nadal leads Djokovic 22-16 in their head-to-head record, but the Serbian won their latest encounter last month in Beijing after losing his top ranking to the Spaniard.

Nadal claimed his first win over Federer on an indoor hard court. Nadal, who extended his winning record over Federer to 22-10, has now beaten the Swiss great on every surface. Federer had won their four previous matches at the ATP Finals, dropping only one set.

“The most important thing for me is (that indoor) is the toughest surface for me to play,” Nadal said. “The most difficult for me was to be able to win four matches against top-eight players. It’s a very good way to finish the year.”

Nadal, who is bidding to win the elite event for the first time, played down the importance of his victory over his greatest rival. In London, he won his three round robin matches to reach the last four.

“It is probably one of my best seasons,” said Nadal, who reclaimed the No. 1 spot this year after coming back from a knee injury in February. “The most satisfying thing is always (to win) the tournament more than the personal victories. So for me it is more important to be in the final in the last tournament of the year than to have the chance to win against Roger.”

Since he returned from his seven-month injury layoff, Nadal has produced one of the most impressive comebacks in tennis history. He has won 75 matches — losing only six — to win 10 titles including the French Open, U.S. Open and five Masters 1000 events.

Federer’s season was very different. Hampered by a back injury, he won only one title in 2013 and was hoping to secure a big trophy before the year-end break.

He played aggressively early on but faded after losing the first set, making too many mistakes to threaten the Spaniard.

“In the beginning, his serve worked very well,” Nadal said. “My feeling is that in the first set, he played very well. He was closer than me to have the break. So in my opinion until 4-all, he was playing better than me.”

Nadal and Federer treated the O2 Arena fans to some superb exchanges early on, reminiscent of the classic matches that have punctuated their nine-year rivalry. But Nadal was much sharper at the important moments, converting all four of his break points, while Federer sometimes looked like a shadow of his old self, making 32 unforced errors and hitting some poor volleys.

“I struggled to stay consistent enough throughout the match, and that’s why he deserved to win,” Federer said. “This game is a game of making or missing your opportunities. Today was a little bit more of that, again.”

The 32-year-old Federer, who beat Juan Martin del Potro on Saturday to qualify for the semis while Nadal had a rest day, also looked tired toward the end.

Federer missed an early chance when he failed to convert three break points in the sixth game. Nadal took advantage of his first opportunity to break for 5-4 with a superb forehand winner.

Federer sent the crowd into rapturous cheers as he broke back immediately after winning a long rally with a forehand down the line.

But Federer failed to build on the momentum, dropping his serve in the very next game before going on to concede the set. He then struggled with his rhythm and was broken twice in the second set, with Nadal sealing victory when Federer sent a volley long.

Three-time champions Bob and Mike Bryan advanced to the doubles final after defeating No. 2 Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares 4-6, 6-4, 10-8.

The American twins will take on David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco on Monday after the Spanish duo beat Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo 7-6 (10), 7-5.

The Bryans have already clinched the year-end No. 1 spot for a fifth straight year and a record ninth time.

They have won 11 titles this season, including the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon.

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Rafael Nadal’s Battle Against Time

Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam singles champion, has played all year like he is running out of time. There is a reason for that, and it’s not hard to miss at the ATP Finals.

By Matthew Futterman

TURIN, Italy — There was a moment Sunday night when Rafael Nadal was suddenly Rafael Nadal again.

This was during the first set of his first match at the ATP Finals, where Nadal entered as the top seed, even though he had played only one singles match since his September loss at the U.S. Open. The whole sequence took roughly four seconds: a chase from deep in the backcourt to catch a drop shot from the American Taylor Fritz near the net just before the second bounce, followed by a ridiculous, backhanded snap overhead hit on the sharpest of angles.

Cue Nadal’s signature hop-skip and roundhouse fist-pump, and a roaring crowd. Members of Nadal’s overflowing player box, which included his parents, coach, Carlos Moya, sister, wife, agent, and a few others, leaped from their seats, screaming “Vamos,” still thrilled by their boy wonder after all these years.

The moment was fleeting, though. Within the hour, Fritz was drilling Nadal, riding the momentum of winning the first-set tiebreaker and his nearly untouchable first serve to finish him off, 7-6 (3), 6-1. For a third consecutive match, Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam singles champion, had lost to a member of the so-called next generation of Americans, a bizarre streak for him and another disquieting detail at the end of a year that included a back-from-the-dead revival and his first child, but yet another series of unsettling injuries.

“Six tough months in all ways,” Nadal said on Tuesday after losing his second match of the tournament.

By the end of the Fritz match on Sunday, Nadal, known for never losing his temper or giving up, was whacking balls across the court after his errors and halfheartedly swatting some of his final shots, seemingly accepting that defeat was inevitable.

There was more frustration Tuesday afternoon, when Nadal once more showed glimpses of the old magic, the searing forehands and rifling backhands. But too often in the crucial moments against Felix Auger-Aliassime, the rising Canadian , he either found himself playing defense or making sloppy errors that betrayed his inactivity — just eight singles matches since July. Playing him for the third time on tour, Auger-Aliassime cruised to his first win against Nadal, 6-3, 6-4, ending Nadal’s hopes to advance past the round-robin phase.

Strangest of all, perhaps, is that the competition, even young players who once crumpled when they saw Nadal across the net, has sensed his vulnerability.

Fritz knew better than to think of himself as the favorite against Nadal, who had beaten him in a fifth-set tiebreaker in a Wimbledon quarterfinal in July despite an abdominal tear so severe that his family begged him to leave the court. When it was over, Fritz said the loss hurt so much he felt like crying. Nadal withdrew from the tournament the next day .

But in Turin, on a slick and fast hard court and with Nadal playing just his second singles match since early September, Fritz liked his odds.

“I felt like I had a really good chance of winning,” he said.

Auger-Aliassime, who has won three tournaments this fall, said his confidence grew as he and Nadal traded service games in the first set on Tuesday.

“I was like, ‘Look, I have a real chance of winning this,’” he said. “I was comfortable in certain situations. I definitely believed that I could win.”

A few days earlier, Fritz had made Nadal feel things he rarely has against someone other than Novak Djokovic — rushed and under pressure, as though somehow Fritz had all the time in the world to do whatever he wanted with his shots while Nadal had no time at all.

“Everything was going so fast,” Nadal said Sunday.

He tried to slow things down Tuesday afternoon, drifting farther behind the baseline, but that just allowed the powerful Auger-Aliassime to push forward.

In some ways, the sense of being short on time has pervaded Nadal’s entire year in ways both big and small. At 36, he knows the end of his career is not far off, that every appearance at an event might be his last go-round there. So does his family, which might help explain why his box is so full in Turin, just a few weeks after the birth of his first child, and how downcast they became as the matches wore on, though they yelled “Vamos” to the end.

After missing most of the second half of 2021, he ventured to Australia in January, just seven weeks removed from being on crutches, figuring it might be his last time playing there given his deteriorating physique and chronically injured left foot. He got better with each match, fell two sets down to Daniil Medvedev of Russia in the final and somehow won the year’s first Grand Slam tournament.

He played the finals of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., with a cracked rib. He took a shot to numb his foot before each match of the French Open. He left Paris on crutches once more but with his 14th French Open singles championship .

He entered Wimbledon, his first official matches on grass in three years, without playing a tuneup tournament. He won all five matches he played.

He could not practice his serve for weeks and arrived at the U.S. Open having played just one hardcourt match. He was far from 100 percent physically or mentally. His wife was in the final stretch of a challenging pregnancy. Frances Tiafoe beat him four sets in the fourth round , becoming the first American-born player to beat Nadal at a Grand Slam since he was a teenager.

At another time in his career, Nadal might have called it a year. Instead he partnered with Roger Federer in the Swiss champion’s final competitive match, then tried to get healthy for this tournament, a gathering of the most successful eight players of the season.

By the time he was ready to compete, the season was practically over. He had to return at the Paris Masters instead of at a smaller tournament with lesser players. Tommy Paul, who grew up training with Fritz and Tiafoe, beat Nadal in his opening match in three sets.

The young Americans, and then Auger-Aliassime on Tuesday, caught Nadal in the sport’s Catch-22. Winning requires a level of comfort with playing matches, but the only way to get comfortable playing matches is to win and play more of them.

“You need to be quicker on your legs, quicker on your mind,” Nadal said. “You need to win matches to make that happen.”

Nadal will likely have to wait for that. After this event, he will not compete again until tennis begins its 2023 season in Australia on New Year’s weekend. He has signed on to represent Spain in the United Cup, a round-robin, mixed team event that will guarantee him a handful of matches against top players before he tries to defend his 2022 Australian Open singles title .

Aging and ailing physique and new baby aside, he has not lost his desire.

“I don’t know if I going to reach that level again,” Nadal said Tuesday. “But what I don’t have is any doubt that I’m going to die for it.”

Also, since Australia’s tennis summer follows the off-season, nearly everyone else should be as rusty as he is.

They may just have more time.

Matthew Futterman is a veteran sports journalist and the author of two books, “Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed” and “Players: How Sports Became a Business.” More about Matthew Futterman

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ATP World Tour Finals breakdown

The final eight are ready to do battle at the season-ending World Tour Finals this week in London. The field is divided into two round-robin groups, with the two most successful players from each group advancing to the semifinals. Group A consists of Rafael Nadal , David Ferrer , Tomas Berdych and Stanislas Wawrinka . Group B consists of Novak Djokovic , Juan Martin del Potro , Roger Federer and Richard Gasquet .

They're coming fresh -- or not-so-fresh -- off last week's Paris Masters, where all eight also made the quarterfinals. That means some familiar matchups are in store over the next few days. Four of the round-robin encounters will be rematches from last week. Here's how each looks entering the event.

Rafael Nadal

Why he'll win: Who's won more than Nadal this season? The Spaniard has won a tour-leading 10 titles this season and has a 71-6 record since returning in February after a seven-month injury layoff. He's also been dominant on the hard courts (outdoors, anyway), and his head-to-head against the rest of the field at this event is 20-4 this year. If he plays the way he did against Richard Gasquet in the quarterfinals of Paris last week, it's hard to see anyone stopping him.

Why he won't : Where hasn't Nadal won so far in his career? This is one of the few places -- his best result was a final in 2010. There are no big reasons that can't change this year, but there are a few small ones. There's the time of year -- Nadal has only twice lifted a trophy after the US Open is over. There are the conditions -- Nadal has only once won a title indoors. And there's the location -- with his first-round loss at Wimbledon, Nadal is currently 0-1 in Britain. That last one isn't much to go on, but after the year he's had, the others will take what they can get.

His amazing season, however, may finally be starting to catch up to him. He's just 3-3 against the rest of the field since the US Open. Novak Djokovic, his biggest rival, looks much more comfortable at the moment, and the other players will also feel they have a better chance because of the quicker, lower-bouncing court and the struggles Nadal has had at this tournament. If he plays the way he did while losing to David Ferrer in the semifinals of Paris -- a day after beating Gasquet -- it's hard to see him lifting the trophy.

Novak Djokovic

Why he'll win: Unlike Nadal, Djokovic tends to do well at this time of year and is coming in 17-0 since the US Open. He's also the defending champion at this event and is 15-4 against the rest of the tournament field this season. Perhaps most importantly, the Serb has also started turning the tables on Nadal. He's lost two of their three hard-court meetings this year, but won their last encounter in Beijing and should benefit from the indoor conditions at the O2 arena if the two meet again this week.

Why he won't: Winning is good, but it can also be tiring. Djokovic has racked up a lot of matches since the US Open, and has just a day off between playing the final in Paris and his first round-robin match. And his season doesn't even end there. Serbia takes on the Czech Republic in the Davis Cup final next week, and the patriotic Djokovic will want to be fit and prepared to play in front of his hometown crowds. There's also the slight prospect of taking the No. 1 ranking from Nadal to think about, though Djokovic says the chances are so small that he's more focused on gaining ground for next year. All this added pressure, together with all the matches he's played coming in, could start to have an effect as the week goes on.

David Ferrer

Why he'll win: Everyone's got a chance, right? And those chances look a lot better after he defeated Nadal last week to score his biggest win of the season. His results had dropped off since reaching the French Open final, but last week's run suggests the 31-year-old may be ready for another charge. Though Ferrer is at his best on clay, he's shown his indoor credentials by winning the Paris Masters last year and reaching the final again this year, this time on the same surface that will be used in London. He makes players beat him, and outgrinding Ferrer isn't an easy ask at this point in a long and winding season.

Why he won't: This tournament is about beating top players, and that's Ferrer's sticking point. His record against everyone else at this event is 3-9 this season, and two of those wins -- Nadal and Berdych -- came last week. He's also worried about having less rest after reaching the final in Paris, noting that Nadal will have had one more day off when the two meet again in their first round-robin match. He has a shot at the semis after beating everyone in his round-robin group at some point during the season. But getting more wins against the field this week than he has all year? It's a tall order.

Juan Martin del Potro

Why he'll win: When del Potro gets going, he and his gigantic forehand are tough to stop. Beating Djokovic, Andy Murray and then taking Nadal to three sets, as del Potro did in Indian Wells, may be the best showing by anyone this season apart from those three themselves. And the 2009 US Open champion has also been in good form recently, defeating Nadal in Shanghai and beating Federer to win Basel two weeks ago.

Why he won't: Del Potro may get going, but hasn't been able to keep going for very long. His Indian Wells was followed by an opening-round loss in Miami, not helped by some family distraction back home. A good run at Wimbledon and the hard-court season culminated in an early loss to Lleyton Hewitt at the US Open. He's played a lot of matches in the past two months, making fatigue a possible concern. And while on his way to London, del Potro had his personal belongings stolen, which again could leave him unsettled coming into this week.

Tomas Berdych

Why he'll win: (Long pause.) Maybe he's saving his best for last? The Czech with big firepower has been underwhelming most of this year but did manage to lead the Czechs back to the Davis Cup final. With the tie against the Serbs coming up next week, maybe he can find inspiration a few days early. And if there's any advantage to losing in the first round of Basel and playing only three matches in Paris last week -- like Berdych, Gasquet and Wawrinka all did -- it's that they come in a bit more rested.

Why he won't: He's the only member of the top 10 not to win a title this year and is 2-10 against the rest of the field in London. Though he's got the game to beat anyone, Berdych hasn't capitalized on a lot of opportunities he's had this year, like playing a tired Djokovic in the Australian Open quarterfinals or facing a tired Nadal after beating Djokovic in the Rome quarterfinals. As a result, he doesn't seem confident enough to suddenly start scoring win after win against the top guys this week.

Roger Federer

Why he'll win: After a tough season, he's finally starting to resemble his old self. Federer made the final of his hometown tournament in Basel two weeks ago, losing to del Potro, and then beat del Potro last week before losing his semifinal to Djokovic in three sets. In the process, the pieces of his game have begun coming together over the past week -- better movement, more consistent first serve, more effective returns. If he can keep that momentum going, the 17-time Grand Slam champ could quickly become very dangerous. He's won his event six times and the conditions at the O2 arena suit his game well.

Why he won't: Though Federer is playing better, he's still making uncharacteristic errors at important moments. That's a sign his confidence has not yet fully returned, and those types of mistakes are especially costly against the elite players. His win against del Potro in Paris last week was just his second top-10 win of the year (and the other came all the way back at the Australian Open), showing how far he's been from the upper reaches for most of the season.

Stanislas Wawrinka

Why he'll win: Wawrinka has given Djokovic all he can handle at two Grand Slams this year, which means he can stay on the court with anyone at this point. Qualifying for his first Tour Finals has given him a big boost, and he should be able to play freely after exceeding his expectations for this season. Just like his more famous compatriot, Wawrinka struggles against Nadal and finds himself in the same round-robin group as the Spaniard. Still, he feels he might have a shot at beating the No.1 on this surface because Nadal's topspin won't trouble him as much.

Why he won't: Despite some big improvements, Wawrinka's season has still been more notable for good losses rather than good wins. His results have also tailed off since reaching the US Open semifinals, and he lost fairly tamely to Djokovic in Paris last week. He still struggles with self-belief on big occasions, and it's a big jump to now go and win this tournament.

Richard Gasquet

Why he'll win: Gasquet is having arguably his best season yet, and certainly his best since 2007. His shot-making talent stands out even in this field, and he's now physically stronger and competing better. It's not unusual to see players now start hitting their stride at 27, and he could well be one of them.

Why he won't: He's scored some good wins against the likes of Ferrer and Berdych and won three small titles, but hasn't made a dent against Nadal or Djokovic (or Murray) when he's run into them. Going from that to winning most of his matches against the top eight this week? That's a long way away.

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Rafael Nadal beats Stefanos Tsitsipas in ATP Tour Finals shootout – as it happened

Rafael Nadal overcame Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets to reach the semi-final.

• 19 Nov 2020 Rafael Nadal beats Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4 4-6 6-2 to reach semi-final
• 19 Nov 2020 Stefanos Tsitsipas levels Rafael Nadal at 4-6 6-4
• 19 Nov 2020 Rafael Nadal takes the first set 6-4 against Stefanos Tsitsipas
• 19 Nov 2020 Preamble

That is all from me tonight. Thank you for following along and we will be back tomorrow afternoon as Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev compete at 2pm for the final spot in the semi-final.

Rafael Nadal’s results this year:

Australian Open QF

Roland Garros W

Paris Masters SF

This is how things currently look in London:

Daniil Medvedev vs Rafael Nadal

Dominic Thiem vs Novak Djokovic or Alexander Zverev.

Sixth sense 🙌 The moment @RafaelNadal reached the last four of the #NittoATPFinals for the sixth time! pic.twitter.com/6WNsk60bT5 — Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 19, 2020

02: RF 03: RF 04: RF 05: RF 06: RF RN 07: RF, RN 08: ND 09: RF 10: RF, RN, ND 11: RF 12: RF, ND 13: RF, RN, ND 14: RF, ND 15: RF, RN, ND 16: ND 17: RF 18: RF, ND 19: RF 20: RN 19 straight years of at least Nadal, Djokovic or Federer in the #NittoATPFinals last four! pic.twitter.com/EBrkNZIhvV — Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 19, 2020

Rafael Nadal:

“I think I played quite well for such a long time. That game at 5-4 in the second affected me a little bit… I think I was winning my serves quite comfortably until that moment. After that, everything changed a little bit. I think I started to serve a little bit worse. But in general terms have been a very positive match for me, to be in the semi-finals here at the last tournament of the year is an important thing. Happy for that and I am looking forward to that semi-finals against Daniil.”

Rafael Nadal reaches his 6th ATP Finals SF. 15 years after the first one in 2006. He will play Daniil Medvedev who was 10 years old at the time. — enrico maria riva (@enricomariariva) November 19, 2020

Rafael Nadal beats Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4 4-6 6-2 to reach semi-final

Kudos to Tsitsipas for arresting Nadal’s momentum and forcing a third set, but Nadal is serving too well and maintaining such a consistent level.

With the exception of the brief lull in the final game of set two and the beginning of set three, another strong performance from the 20 time slam champion. His hopes of filling the final major gap in his resume at the ATP Finals are still a possibility this week.

Rafael Nadal 6-4 4-6 *5-2 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Tsitsipas drops his third service game of the set with a whimper. He hit three errors in total, spraying a forehand well wide on break point. Nadal will serve for the match and a place in the semi-final.

Rafael Nadal 6-4 4-6 4-2* Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Nadal keeps the break intact with a quick hold to love, sealed with two unreturned serves and a couple of overhit errors from an aggressive Tsitsipas. It looks like Nadal has rediscovered his rhythm on serve and it is difficult to see a way back for Tsitsipas if that is the case.

Rafael Nadal 6-4 4-6 *3-2 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

After three breaks in a row, two holds follow. A good service game from Tsitsipas, who decided to serve and volley 4 times in a row and was rewarded for it with a quick hold to 15. A good message from Tsitsipas there - he will continue to attack.

Rafael Nadal 6-4 4-6 3-1* Stefanos Tsitsipas.

It looked like Nadal was en route to losing his serve for a third time in a row, but from 0-30 the Spaniard shook himself out of his stupor and held. Nadal found a quick serve-forehand 1-2 punch at 0-30, then Tsitsipas shanked a backhand under pressure. At 30-30, Nadal produced two quick unreturned serves to seal the game.

Rafael Nadal 6-4 4-6 *2-1 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Out of nowhere, this match has turned into a break festival. This time, Nadal secured the third break in a row to love. There was little resistance from Tsitsipas, who ended the game by dumping a bounce smash into the bottom of the net at 0-30, then spraying a backhand wide. Who will hold first?

Rafael Nadal 6-4 4-6 1-1* Stefanos Tsitsipas.

A very good effort from Tsitsipas to rediscover his focus and immediately break back. At 30-15, Tsitsipas stepped in and crushed a cross-court backhand after a high octane point, forcing an error from Nadal. Then he swept into the net behind a lovely low slice, to which Nadal responded with a lob attempt that flew long. On break point, Nadal dumped a backhand into the net.

After looking untouchable on serve for nearly two sets, Nadal drops his serve twice in a row. Momentum is a funny thing.

Rafael Nadal 6-4 4-6 *1-0 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Well, that is not ideal for Tsitsipas. After his tremendous work at the end of the second set, he opened with a double fault. Nadal nailed a brilliant forehand passing shot to reach 0-30, then Tsitsipas threw in two consecutive forehand errors to hand over the game. Such a dramatic intensity drop just is simply not good enough against Rafael Nadal.

Stefanos Tsitsipas levels Rafael Nadal at 4-6 6-4

A complete smash and grab! After winning only one point of Nadal’s serve throughout set two, Tsitsipas finally managed to dig into a return game.

Tsitsipas landed a great backhand passing shot on the first point and then he rolled with it. After a couple of poor decisions from Nadal at the net to reach double set point, Nadal double faulted on the second set point at 30-40. We’re going to three sets.

Rafael Nadal 6-4 *4-5 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Tsitsipas moves through a quick love hold of his own. After three unreturned serves from the Greek to start the game, Nadal dropped a forehand into the net. Considering how little pressure Nadal has been under on his serve in this set, let’s see if the scoreline changes anything at all. He will serve to stay in the second set.

Rafael Nadal 6-4 4-4* Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Nadal has lost one (1) point on serve in this set so far. As if to rub salt in Tsitsipas’s many wounds, he closed this one off with consecutive second serve aces.

Rafael Nadal 6-4 *3-4 Stefanos Tsitsipas

Another tough, resilient hold from Tsitsipas. He was once again at 30-30, again under pressure in a long rally. This time, he found a very good angled cross-court backhand to transition from defence to attack and force a Nadal error. At 40-30, Nadal missed a second serve return.

Points won over 9 shots:

Rafael Nadal: 8

Stefanos Tsitsipas: 1

Rafael Nadal 6-4 3-3* Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Nadal breezes through another quick hold, this time to 15. He continues to completely pummel the Tsitsipas backhand which is badly struggling. At 15-0, Tsitsipas bailed out of a high-octane exchange from the advantage court with a drop shot, which Nadal swept up. At 30-0, a heavy Nadal forehand eventually set up a short ball, which Nadal put away with a brutal forehand. On the second game point, Nadal found a big unreturned serve to hold.

Rafael Nadal unforced errors: 4

Rafael Nadal 6-4 *2-3 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Good work from Tsitsipas to keep himself ahead under some pressure. At 30-30, he landed an unreturned serve followed by a quick serve-forehand 1-2 punch.

Rafael Nadal’s first serve points won : 22/24 (92%)

Rafael Nadal 6-4 2-2* Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Nadal pieces together another effortless love hold, sealed with a big serve-forehand 1-2 punch at 30-0, followed by the most delicate backhand drop volley winner on the first game point. Lovely.

Rafael Nadal 6-4 *1-2 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

A really good love hold from Tsitsipas to keep himself ahead in set two. From 15-0, produced three brilliant point-ending forehands in succession to hold. He needs to impose his forehand

Rafael Nadal 6-4 1-1* Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Another love hold from Nadal means that the has only lost 5 points on serve in 6 service games. Remember, Tsitsipas failed to generate a break point after 2 hours 25 minutes in their match here last year and he has had similar problems with Nadal’s serve in other encounters. Tsitsipas is not even close to putting pressure Nadal’s serve and that must change.

Rafael Nadal 6-4 *0-1 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

A really good hold from Tsitsipas to open the second set. His backhand was under immense pressure from Nadal throughout, but down break point at 40-Ad he stepped into the court and blazed a brilliant angled cross-court backhand winner. After reaching game point, this time he pulled off a jumping backhand down-the-line winner. In the midst of that recovery was a loud, pointed cry of ‘c’mon’. He is fighting.

Rafael Nadal’s serving stats today:

First serve %: 76%

First serve points won: 89%

Break points faced: 0

Rafael Nadal takes the first set 6-4 against Stefanos Tsitsipas

Another set of the highest quality from Nadal. He worked Tsitsipas’s backhand over, annoyed the Greek with his wicked backhand slice and he served extremely well throughout. From 30-30, one of Tsitsipas’s best efforts on his serve, he landed consecutive unreturned serves to move on. Nadal is yet to face a break point.

Two hands on the volley?! 👀 @RafaelNadal #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/7ogvZ7TeK5 — Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 19, 2020

Rafael Nadal *5-4 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The pressure was building and Tsitsipas finally crumbled underneath it. From 30-30, a long, physical exchange ended with Nadal’s superior slice drawing a backhand error from Tsitsipas. On break point, Tsitsipas threw in his second double fault of the match. Nadal will serve for the set.

Rafael Nadal 4-4* Stefanos Tsitsipas.

After failing to convert two break points in the previous game, Nadal immediately shrugged off the disappointment and landed 3 unreturned serves en route to a quick hold to 15. A perfect response.

Rafael Nadal *3-4 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

After a couple of errors and a wicked Nadal forehand at 15-30, Nadal found himself up 15-40 with the first break points of the match.

Nadal missed a second serve return on the first break point, but from 30-40 Tsitsipas took control. At 30-40 he moved into the net after a strong forehand, dispatching an overhead winner. From deuce, Nadal twice failed to land a passing shot against Tsitsipas after forceful forehand approach shots from the Greek. That is exactly how Tsitsipas needs to play this match. A positive sign.

Rafael Nadal 3-3* Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Nadal matches Tsitsipas once again, easing through an easy hold to 15. He landed a gorgeous angled drop volley at 30-15 before crunching an ace to hold. 6 games in 20 minutes. This is moving very quickly.

Rafael Nadal *2-3 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Tsitsipas continues to serve extremely well. From 15-15, he quickly moved to 40-15 with an ace followed by an unreturned serve. On the second game point, Nadal just sent a backhand long. Another hold on the board for the Greek.

Rafael Nadal 2-2* Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Nadal moves through a quick hold to 15. After the Spaniard opened with two supreme backhand down-the-line winners, Tsitsipas attempted his own at 40-15, which flew wide. Both men are serving extremely well early on and facing very little pressure.

Rafael Nadal *1-2 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Tsitsipas responds with a quick love hold of his own, which included his first sneak to the net at 15-0, sealed with a lovely backhand volley winner. After an ace from Tsitsipas at 30-0, Nadal uncharacteristically netted an overhead on game point.

Rafael Nadal 1-1* Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Nadal eases through a quick hold to love with some great serving. 4 first serves in, 4 first serves won.

Rafael Nadal *0-1 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

A really nice start from Tsitsipas. From 0-15 down, he crunched two consecutive forehand winners then landed a quick serve-forehand 1-2 punch. On game point he produced a delicate drop shot winner. A very good hold to 15.

Here we go. Stefanos Tsitsipas has kicked things off. The winner moves into the semi-final, the loser will be off on holiday somewhere.

A shootout for the semi-finals! ⚔️ Watch Nadal vs Tsitsipas LIVE 👉 https://t.co/hOHmv2wMlX pic.twitter.com/yJemv9DLrw — Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 19, 2020

The players have arrived on-court. Stefanos Tsitsipas will serve first.

Clutch in the decider ✌️ @RajeevRam and @joesalisbury92 clinch a #NittoATPFinals semi-final spot after a 7-6 6-7 10-4 win over Krawietz/Mies! pic.twitter.com/HCrR4cylQv — Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 19, 2020

Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram beat Andreas Mies and Kevin Krawietz 7-6(5) 6-7(4) 10-4 to reach their first ATP Finals semi-final.

Congratulations to the Guardian’s own Kevin Mitchell.

Here’s the 1st #ATP award winner for 2020 ⁦ @kevinmitchell50 ⁩ with the Ron Bookman Media Excellence award & the rest of the British press...congrats Kevin!!! pic.twitter.com/WWPTUYpB3p — Nicola Arzani (@Nicarzani) November 19, 2020

Meanwhile, Anglo-American duo Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram have been pushed to a third set match tiebreak against Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies. The winning team will reach the semi-final for the first time.

As we wait, here are some highlights from last year’s encounter.

"We don't have your abs, we don't have your glutes, but we have wisdom." A coaching gem from Apostolos Tsitsipas 😂 #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/TjOCFcHUB2 — ATP Tour (@atptour) November 19, 2020

Head to head:

Rafael Nadal leads the head to head 5-1 against Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Their last meeting? Nadal beat Tsitsipas 6-7(4) 6-4 7-5 here last year in a long, fun and gruelling match in 2 hours 52 minutes. Nadal faced zero break points in the entire match.

Stefanos Tsitsipas on tonight’s match.

Q. I want to ask you what are your memories from last year game against Rafa, and what key points do you have to improve to have a chance to beat him this time? STEFANOS TSITSIPAS: I was very concentrated on our match last year and was playing each point individually. I’m going to try and play an aggressive -- in aggressive tennis, you can play defensive with Rafa. Try to play the rallies, you know. Play rallies, apply pressure, serve well. It is all part of my -- it’s part of the game that I want to play against Rafa. I think everyone has to play this way. I just have to be solid. Have to be more solid than him to win. I know that. I have to start strong and finish even stronger.

Rafa after his loss to Dominic Thiem on Tuesday:

Q. Although you lost the match, you have shown a pretty nice round game, especially at the net. Do you think this is the style that you need to play to finally wrap an ATP Finals? RAFAEL NADAL: I don’t know. I think even if I never won here, I really, I don’t want to pretend to be arrogant at all, no? Because I am not. But I really don’t need to show even to myself or to no one that if I am playing my best tennis I think I can win in every surface and against any player, no? Is true, but I never won in the World Tour Finals. That’s the real thing at the same time. So no problem about that. I know I have to play my best if I want to have chances. Today have been a match that I played at very high level, and my goal is just to keep going, no? I have a match against Tsitsipas in two days. Gonna be another tough one. But I hope to be ready, no? I think playing like this I am confident that I can have my chances in the tournament.

Hello! Welcome to our coverage of the penultimate day of round robin action at the ATP Finals. These final matches of the round robin stages can be so complicated with the semi-finalists often determined by set and game percentages. Thankfully, things are very simple this year and the winner of tonight’s match between Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas will qualify for the semi-final in second place behind Dominic Thiem. Daniil Medvedev awaits.

Nadal arrives in this final at an interesting moment. This is only his second tournament on hard courts since February. Despite the fact that he fell in two tiebreak sets against Thiem, he did so while playing some incredible tennis himself aside from on the most important moments deep in the two tiebreaks. After the match, he was satisfied despite the loss. The question is whether he can use it as a stepping stone to advance further in the tournament.

Defending champion Tsitsipas has been struggling with a leg injury in recent weeks and although he took a set from Thiem, he was understandably more frustrated by his performance than Nadal. He rode his luck and demonstrated his mental fortitude in the following match as he recovered from match point down against Andrey Rublev to keep himself alive in the event. Now let’s see what he can do against the very best.

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• Daniil Medvedev
• Dominic Thiem

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Atp madrid day 7 predictions including rafael nadal vs jiri lehecka.

• April 29, 2024
• Damian Kust

It’s a stacked schedule on Tuesday as the entire fourth round of the men’s singles event will grace the main two arenas at the ATP Madrid Open. A certain five-time champion is still in the running for another title, as is the top seed. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Carlos Alcaraz vs Jan-Lennard Struff. But who will make the quarterfinals?

ATP Madrid Day 7 Predictions

Francisco cerundolo vs alexander zverev.

Head-to-head: first meeting

Alexander Zverev has a phenomenal record in Madrid and a lot of that comes down to his serve. It simply shines even more with the altitude and the semi-indoor vibe of the main courts. He’s now 23-4 at this venue and in the last three editions, he was only stopped by one person (Carlos Alcaraz, twice). Francisco Cerundolo has that high-peak game that he unleashes on his opposition from time to time, but this is Zverev’s kingdom and he will be very hard to stop here.

Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Casper Ruud

Head-to-head: Ruud 4-2 Auger-Aliassime

No one has been winning as much as Casper Ruud this year with the Norwegian finding his aggression on the court of late. It led him to another ATP 1000 final and to a first ATP 500 title literally within the last month. So far he’s not showing any signs of slowing down either. He’s also won the last three matches with Felix Auger-Aliassime, including a 6-1 6-4 dismissal at this venue in 2021. It would be pretty surprising if the winning run came to an end here with the Canadian’s form still being rather unimpressive.

Jannik Sinner vs Karen Khachanov

Head-to-head: Sinner 3-1 Khachanov

Jannik Sinner was struggling physically in the second set against Pavel Kotov, but managed to pull through in two sets anyway. We’ll see if the hip concerns remain a cause for concern for the top seed, who has been practically unstoppable the entire season. Karen Khachanov learned it the hard way at the Australian Open as these two played their first straight-set match. His chances on clay might be a little better, but it’s still hard to believe Sinner won’t find a way to win at the moment.

Rafael Nadal vs Jiri Lehecka

Rafael Nadal had to spend three hours on the court against Pedro Cachin, but the good thing for him is that you couldn’t really see any massive signs of fatigue. Was his level convincing though? Not really and that’s something Jiri Lehecka will try to lean on here. Playing Nadal is still an extremely tough challenge mentally for anyone who hasn’t done that before, but at this stage the Czech could overwhelm the legendary opponent with his weapons, especially at altitude. Will he deliver?

Prediction: Lehecka in 3

Main photo credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports

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ATP World Tour Finals breakdown

The final eight are ready to do battle at the season-ending World Tour Finals this week in London. The field is divided into two round-robin groups, with the two most successful players from each group advancing to the semifinals. Group A consists of Rafael Nadal , David Ferrer , Tomas Berdych and Stanislas Wawrinka . Group B consists of Novak Djokovic , Juan Martin del Potro , Roger Federer and Richard Gasquet .

They're coming fresh -- or not-so-fresh -- off last week's Paris Masters, where all eight also made the quarterfinals. That means some familiar matchups are in store over the next few days. Four of the round-robin encounters will be rematches from last week. Here's how each looks entering the event.

Rafael Nadal

Why he'll win: Who's won more than Nadal this season? The Spaniard has won a tour-leading 10 titles this season and has a 71-6 record since returning in February after a seven-month injury layoff. He's also been dominant on the hard courts (outdoors, anyway), and his head-to-head against the rest of the field at this event is 20-4 this year. If he plays the way he did against Richard Gasquet in the quarterfinals of Paris last week, it's hard to see anyone stopping him.

Why he won't : Where hasn't Nadal won so far in his career? This is one of the few places -- his best result was a final in 2010. There are no big reasons that can't change this year, but there are a few small ones. There's the time of year -- Nadal has only twice lifted a trophy after the US Open is over. There are the conditions -- Nadal has only once won a title indoors. And there's the location -- with his first-round loss at Wimbledon, Nadal is currently 0-1 in Britain. That last one isn't much to go on, but after the year he's had, the others will take what they can get.

His amazing season, however, may finally be starting to catch up to him. He's just 3-3 against the rest of the field since the US Open. Novak Djokovic, his biggest rival, looks much more comfortable at the moment, and the other players will also feel they have a better chance because of the quicker, lower-bouncing court and the struggles Nadal has had at this tournament. If he plays the way he did while losing to David Ferrer in the semifinals of Paris -- a day after beating Gasquet -- it's hard to see him lifting the trophy.

Novak Djokovic

Why he'll win: Unlike Nadal, Djokovic tends to do well at this time of year and is coming in 17-0 since the US Open. He's also the defending champion at this event and is 15-4 against the rest of the tournament field this season. Perhaps most importantly, the Serb has also started turning the tables on Nadal. He's lost two of their three hard-court meetings this year, but won their last encounter in Beijing and should benefit from the indoor conditions at the O2 arena if the two meet again this week.

Why he won't: Winning is good, but it can also be tiring. Djokovic has racked up a lot of matches since the US Open, and has just a day off between playing the final in Paris and his first round-robin match. And his season doesn't even end there. Serbia takes on the Czech Republic in the Davis Cup final next week, and the patriotic Djokovic will want to be fit and prepared to play in front of his hometown crowds. There's also the slight prospect of taking the No. 1 ranking from Nadal to think about, though Djokovic says the chances are so small that he's more focused on gaining ground for next year. All this added pressure, together with all the matches he's played coming in, could start to have an effect as the week goes on.

David Ferrer

Why he'll win: Everyone's got a chance, right? And those chances look a lot better after he defeated Nadal last week to score his biggest win of the season. His results had dropped off since reaching the French Open final, but last week's run suggests the 31-year-old may be ready for another charge. Though Ferrer is at his best on clay, he's shown his indoor credentials by winning the Paris Masters last year and reaching the final again this year, this time on the same surface that will be used in London. He makes players beat him, and outgrinding Ferrer isn't an easy ask at this point in a long and winding season.

Why he won't: This tournament is about beating top players, and that's Ferrer's sticking point. His record against everyone else at this event is 3-9 this season, and two of those wins -- Nadal and Berdych -- came last week. He's also worried about having less rest after reaching the final in Paris, noting that Nadal will have had one more day off when the two meet again in their first round-robin match. He has a shot at the semis after beating everyone in his round-robin group at some point during the season. But getting more wins against the field this week than he has all year? It's a tall order.

Juan Martin del Potro

Why he'll win: When del Potro gets going, he and his gigantic forehand are tough to stop. Beating Djokovic, Andy Murray and then taking Nadal to three sets, as del Potro did in Indian Wells, may be the best showing by anyone this season apart from those three themselves. And the 2009 US Open champion has also been in good form recently, defeating Nadal in Shanghai and beating Federer to win Basel two weeks ago.

Why he won't: Del Potro may get going, but hasn't been able to keep going for very long. His Indian Wells was followed by an opening-round loss in Miami, not helped by some family distraction back home. A good run at Wimbledon and the hard-court season culminated in an early loss to Lleyton Hewitt at the US Open. He's played a lot of matches in the past two months, making fatigue a possible concern. And while on his way to London, del Potro had his personal belongings stolen, which again could leave him unsettled coming into this week.

Tomas Berdych

Why he'll win: (Long pause.) Maybe he's saving his best for last? The Czech with big firepower has been underwhelming most of this year but did manage to lead the Czechs back to the Davis Cup final. With the tie against the Serbs coming up next week, maybe he can find inspiration a few days early. And if there's any advantage to losing in the first round of Basel and playing only three matches in Paris last week -- like Berdych, Gasquet and Wawrinka all did -- it's that they come in a bit more rested.

Why he won't: He's the only member of the top 10 not to win a title this year and is 2-10 against the rest of the field in London. Though he's got the game to beat anyone, Berdych hasn't capitalized on a lot of opportunities he's had this year, like playing a tired Djokovic in the Australian Open quarterfinals or facing a tired Nadal after beating Djokovic in the Rome quarterfinals. As a result, he doesn't seem confident enough to suddenly start scoring win after win against the top guys this week.

Roger Federer

Why he'll win: After a tough season, he's finally starting to resemble his old self. Federer made the final of his hometown tournament in Basel two weeks ago, losing to del Potro, and then beat del Potro last week before losing his semifinal to Djokovic in three sets. In the process, the pieces of his game have begun coming together over the past week -- better movement, more consistent first serve, more effective returns. If he can keep that momentum going, the 17-time Grand Slam champ could quickly become very dangerous. He's won his event six times and the conditions at the O2 arena suit his game well.

Why he won't: Though Federer is playing better, he's still making uncharacteristic errors at important moments. That's a sign his confidence has not yet fully returned, and those types of mistakes are especially costly against the elite players. His win against del Potro in Paris last week was just his second top-10 win of the year (and the other came all the way back at the Australian Open), showing how far he's been from the upper reaches for most of the season.

Stanislas Wawrinka

Why he'll win: Wawrinka has given Djokovic all he can handle at two Grand Slams this year, which means he can stay on the court with anyone at this point. Qualifying for his first Tour Finals has given him a big boost, and he should be able to play freely after exceeding his expectations for this season. Just like his more famous compatriot, Wawrinka struggles against Nadal and finds himself in the same round-robin group as the Spaniard. Still, he feels he might have a shot at beating the No.1 on this surface because Nadal's topspin won't trouble him as much.

Why he won't: Despite some big improvements, Wawrinka's season has still been more notable for good losses rather than good wins. His results have also tailed off since reaching the US Open semifinals, and he lost fairly tamely to Djokovic in Paris last week. He still struggles with self-belief on big occasions, and it's a big jump to now go and win this tournament.

Richard Gasquet

Why he'll win: Gasquet is having arguably his best season yet, and certainly his best since 2007. His shot-making talent stands out even in this field, and he's now physically stronger and competing better. It's not unusual to see players now start hitting their stride at 27, and he could well be one of them.

Why he won't: He's scored some good wins against the likes of Ferrer and Berdych and won three small titles, but hasn't made a dent against Nadal or Djokovic (or Murray) when he's run into them. Going from that to winning most of his matches against the top eight this week? That's a long way away.