Rafael Nadal ended his four-match losing streak with a win in his last match at the 2022 ATP Finals. He bows out of the competition with a 1-2 record.
After losing four matches on the trot across three different tournaments, Rafael Nadal finished his season with a win against Casper Ruud in a group-stage encounter at the ATP Finals on Thursday.
In an evenly-contested affair, both Nadal and Ruud managed to hold most of their service games. However, the 22-time Grand Slam champion managed to hold his nerves at crucial junctures to win the match in straight sets 7-5, 7-5.
This win for Nadal against Ruud wasn’t as one-sided as his win in the finals of the 2022 French Open. However, the win holds great importance for Nadal as it will give him a lot of confidence as and when he begins preparing for his Australian Open title defense.
The current world No. 2 was already eliminated after losing his first two matches at the ATP Finals. Nadal’s hopes of winning the tournament played on indoor hardcourt came to a rough end but he promised to fight hard to get back to his highest level in 2023. This win against the 2022 US Open runner-up will surely make him feel better.
Also, the three quality opponents he faced during the tournament will hold him in good stead going forward. Nadal looked much better with his serves in his match against Ruud as he had a win percentage of 93 on the first serve. He also fired in 16 aces. This was double the number he served up in his first two matches combined.
Let’s take a look at how the tennis world on Twitter reacted following Rafael Nadal’s win against Casper Ruud.
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