Nadal defies the odds to keep ATP Finals title dream alive
● Spaniard pulls out all the stops to seal unlikely victory that boosts his bid to finish the year as world number one
Rafael Nadal won a “one in 1,000” match after coming from 5-1 and match point down to sink Daniil Medvedev at the ATP Finals and boost his bid to finish the year as world number one.
In a rematch of their marathon US Open final in September, which Nadal won in five sets, the Spaniard looked on the brink of elimination as Medvedev broke his serve twice at the start of the third set.
But, at 5-1 down, Nadal wriggled out of match point with a cute drop shot, and hot-headed Russian Medvedev promptly unravelled.
The 23-year-old began sarcastically applauding his coaching team as Nadal hauled back game after game, edging the match ominously towards a tie-break.
Nadal duly got on the board at London’s 02 by wrapping up a dramatic 6-7(3), 6-3, 7-6(4) victory in two hours and 44 minutes.
“Today is one of these days that one time out of 1,000 you lose this match, and it happened today,” said Nadal.
“I’m very happy for that, and very sorry for him, honestly, because to lose a match like this is tough, and it’s painful.
“I feel very sorry for Daniil. He’s a good guy, I think, and anyway, he should be very proud about all the things that he’s doing.
“At 5-1, in that moment, what you think is probably in five minutes you are in the locker room, because that’s the more normal thing.
“I played a great point, and then I was able to save that game. Even with 5-2 is so difficult to think about comeback.
“But at 5-3, of course I started to believe, because being only one break away, why not? I need to be there.
“I created that pressure on him. And then of course he made a couple of mistakes. I played a good tie-break, too.”
Thewinmeansnovakdjokovic has to win the title in order to have any chance of overhauling Nadal at the top of the rankings, making the Serbian’s winner-takes-all clash with Roger Federer all the more intriguing.
Nadal, who was well below his best as he slumped in straight sets to Alexander Zverev in his first round-robin match, now faces young Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas tomorrow as he bids to reach the semi-finals.
The 33-year-old seems to be showing no ill-effects following the abdominal problem which forced him to pull out of the Paris Masters earlier this month.
Stefanos Tsitsipas secured his place in the last four of the ATP Finals in London by beating defending champion Alexander Zverev.
The 21-year-old, pictured right, who overcame Daniil Medvedev in their opening round-robin match, dispatched German Zverev 6-3, 6-2 at the O2 Arena.
Rafael Nadal faces Greece’s Tsitsipas in the final rubber tomorrow as he bids to secure a semi-final spot. Nadal lost to Zverev in his opening match.
“At 5-1, in that moment, what you think is probably in five minutes you are in the locker room because that’s the more normal thing”
RAFAEL NADAL