Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Sporting ExcitementSporting Excitement

Tennis

Rafael Nadal fights back again to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas and keeps hopes of Roger Federer showdown at ATP Finals alive

, Rafael Nadal fights back again to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas and keeps hopes of Roger Federer showdown at ATP Finals alive

RAFAEL NADAL showed why he is No1 male tennis player in the world as he came from behind at the ATP Finals but he is sweating on his spot in the semi-finals.

The Spaniard beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7 6-4 7-5 at the O2 Arena in his final match of Group Andre Agassi.

For the second time in a week, Rafael Nadal fought back from a set down to win

It was yet another brilliant demonstration of why he will finish as the worlds leading player of 2019 ahead of Novak Djokovic.

After the match, the French and US Open champion received his end-year trophy from the ATP but any opportunity to celebrate was put on hold for a few hours.

That is because he will have to wait until 10pm tonight before knowing if he has a dream semi-final clash with Roger Federer on Saturday afternoon.

Nadal, 33, needs the eliminated Russian Daniil Medvedev to beat German Alexander Zverev in the final match at 8pm otherwise he will be out of the group stage for the third time in his career and first time since 2011.

It is a crazy situation that he could win this match and be recognised as the main man on the tour and yet he could be packing his bags this evening and travelling back to Spain for the Davis Cup in Madrid.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

This was high-quality, high-octane stuff and there was little to choose between two the stars in a tight opening set.

It went to a tie-breaker after no break point opportunities across the 12 games but world No6 Tsitsipas had the greater hunger and guile to prevail.

The 21-year-old sealed the first set after 58 minutes with a blistering 134mph ace, his fifth of the first set.

Persistent Nadal had four breaks points in the fifth, seventh and nine games and finally wore down the Tsitsipas serve to take the match into a deciding set.

In the third set, Nadal gained the break of serve in the 11th game and he managed to serve out the victory after two hours and 52 minutes to avoid the tension of a final-set tie-breaker.

, Rafael Nadal fights back again to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas and keeps hopes of Roger Federer showdown at ATP Finals alive
Stefanos Tsitsipas did not put too many feet wrong throughout the three sets of tight tennis but ultimately could not get the win
, Rafael Nadal fights back again to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas and keeps hopes of Roger Federer showdown at ATP Finals alive
Nadal was edged out after a close first set, losing the tie-break 7-4 but battled back to win the second 6-4
, Rafael Nadal fights back again to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas and keeps hopes of Roger Federer showdown at ATP Finals alive
Nadal went into the game knowing he had to win and hope Daniil Medvedev beats Alexander Zverev later in order to progress
, Rafael Nadal fights back again to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas and keeps hopes of Roger Federer showdown at ATP Finals alive
Nadal’s despair was clear to see as he missed a number of chances to break in the final set

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Latest

Golf

Augusta National, the prestigious golf club that hosts the Masters tournament every April, is known for its beauty and exclusivity. However, behind the scenes...

Premier League

Pochettino Questions Southgate's Decision Mauricio Pochettino has subtly criticized Gareth Southgate after Ben Chilwell returned from England duty with a knee injury, casting doubt...

Premier League

Gary Neville's Opinion Manchester United legend Gary Neville has urged his former club to stick with Erik ten Hag this summer as he is...

Premier League

Chelsea Fans Concerned Chelsea fans are growing increasingly frustrated as the club's injury list continues to expand. The team is currently facing a crisis...

Premier League

Larry Lloyd's Football Career Former England and Nottingham Forest star Larry Lloyd has passed away at the age of 75. The legendary defender played...

Premier League

Bayern Munich Pursuit Fails Fulham's Joao Palhinha recently shared that a surprising transfer offer from West Ham came before his potential move to Bayern...

Advertisement
Advertisement

Facebook

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement