ATP Tour Finals: Rafael Nadal sounded optimistic of his chances in this year’s ATP Tour finals, where he enters as the top seed. The 36-year old Spaniard is the World No.2 and looks to end the year on a high as he is chasing his maiden ATP Finals title. On the media day on Friday ahead of the tournament, Nadal expressed his wish to add the ATP Finals trophy that is missing from his trophy cabinet. Follow ATP Finals 2022 LIVE updates on InsideSport.IN
ATP Tour Finals: Rafael Nadal ready to fight for maiden ATP Finals title, says “I want to win and I’m going to try my best to achieve that goal” – Watch Video
Makin’ an entrance on the r̶e̶d̶ blue carpet: a thread ✨
First up, top seed @RafaelNadal 👌#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/OMwksbP6HS
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 11, 2022
Speaking to ATP, Nadal said, “I try my best in every single event. Doesn’t matter if I won it in the past or not. When I enter a Tennis tournament, I want to win and I’m going to try my best to achieve that goal.”
“Here I was not able to make it, I was not good enough to make it in the past. So I just accept that and I’m happy to give myself another chance at the age of 36 — something, for me, that was difficult to imagine years ago,” he further added.
The Spaniard is entering the tournament after a lull in his form recently. He last played at the Paris Masters, where he bowed out from the first round. Earlier, he also suffered second round defeat at the Cincinnati Masters.
Nadal however was happy to be at the year-end ATP Finals. Speaking about his recent form, he said, “I like to spend days on the tour. But last couple of months I was not able to spend lot of time on the tour. So happy to be here, happy to be playing the last tournament of the year. Sharing the court with the remaining Top 7. I need time, I need practice but I am happy to be here and try to achieve my goals.”
The 36-year old will also be playing the tournament for the first time in Turin. The Italian city became the host of the tournament from last year and Nadal did not qualify last year as he ended his season much earlier due to an injury.
On playing for the first time in the new city, he added, “First time for me in Turin, that’s something that is great. London has been unforgettable and now Turin. Italian crowd is very passionate and very excited about enjoying the time here. Hopefully, that would give me some positive feelings.”
Nadal has been drawn in a group that has Casper Ruud, Felix Auger Aliassime and Taylor Fritz, who will be his rivals in the group stages. Nadal faces Taylor in the first match on Sunday. Nadal and Fritz met twice this year in which Fritz defeated the Spaniard in the final of the Indian Wells Masters, while the American gave him a tough fight in the Wimbledon semifinal as well.
On the challenge that Fritz brings to the table, Nadal said, “I am just here to play as good as possible. Taylor has been a great opponent and he has had a fantastic year. It is going to be a big challenge. I hope to stay competitive and play to the level that I need to win it.”
ATP Tour Finals: Rafael Nadal ready to fight for maiden ATP Finals title, says “I want to win and I’m going to try my best to achieve that goal” – Watch Video
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