Rafael Nadal has been eliminated from the ATP Finals in Turin after losing his second straight match in the tournament and Casper Ruud won his tie against Taylor Fritz.
In a rather one-sided affair, Felix Auger-Aliassime got the better of the Spanish veteran 6-3, 6-4 to keep his hopes of progressing beyond the group stage alive. Nadal, on the other hand, suffered yet another loss on the tour and his hopes of winning a maiden ATP Finals title have gone up in smoke.
The 36-year-old lost his fourth consecutive match on the tour. Nadal won the first two Grand Slams of the year but the road has been a rough one for him since then. The former world No. 1 has suffered injuries and lack of game time has hindered his performances. However, the 22-time Grand Slam champion said after his loss against Felix Auger-Aliassime that he has not forgotten playing tennis and will look to get back to his highest level in 2023.
“I don’t think I forgot how to play tennis. The only thing I can do is keep working. I want to be at the highest level again in 2023 and I am going to die for it.”
The current world No. 2 has been written off in the past as well but he has silenced his critics in style. He is a fighter and there is no reason why he can’t hit the ground running when the new season begins.
Rafael Nadal needed to win the ATP Finals in order to clinch the top spot in the ATP rankings. However, that ship has sailed and his countryman, Carlos Alcaraz, will hold onto the coveted spot when the season ends.
Nadal will have to beat Casper Ruud in his final group-stage encounter on Thursday. However, this match does not count for much. Ruud has already progressed to the semis with wins against Felix Auger-Aliassime and Taylor Fritz while Nadal has lost against both of them.
The only silver lining for Nadal and his fans will be the match practice that the legendary player will be getting, something that he has lacked as of late.
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