Rafael Nadal has completed his clean sweep of the Ilie Nastase Group with a grueling three sets win over fellow countryman David Ferrer.
Whilst the win is positive for Nadal, who currently remains undefeated at the O2 Arena, it could also have an impact of his upcoming mouthwatering clash against Novak Djokovic on Saturday. It will be the 46th meeting between the two players. Nadal could of lost his match against Ferrer in straight sets and still qualify for the semifinals. Instead, he kept fighting for two hours and 40 minutes to secure the win. It could be argued that while his approach is admirable, it could be a mistake for when he faces the top seed tomorrow. Nevertheless Nadal has explained why the victory was crucial for him.
“Today was an opportunity to compete well”. Nadal said.
“200 points are not the same when you are No.1 and No.2 compared to when you are No. 5. Winning today is almost like winning a 250 tournament. The win was a lot of points today and I fought to make it happen”.
Two out of the three titles that Nadal has won was in 2015 was ATP 250 tournaments. His three wins this week in London has already surpassed the points that he won in those two tournaments combined (600 to 500). Currently in the world rankings the Spaniard is 1470 points behind world No.4 Stan Wawrinka.
The Saturday showdown for Nadal will be a tough task for him after enduring a roller-coaster season. Despite narrowly leading the head-to-head against Djokovic 23-22, Nadal has lost to the world No.1 in their five most recent meetings. The last time Nadal beat Djokovic was at the 2014 French Open but the last time he was victorious on a hard-court was at the 2013 US Open. The Spaniard has acknowledged that he has a tough task ahead of him.
“Tomorrow will be a really difficult match against a player who is playing better”. Nadal openly admitted.
“I need to play my best to have any chance. That’s what I am going to try to do. But the right approach is being done. There has been lots of positive things during the last few weeks, which is very good confirmation”.
Due to the below-par season, where Nadal has suffered a career-record 19 losses, he has made an unusual decision. Whilst many of the players will be taking a holiday during the off-season, the world No.5 will not be, jokingly saying ‘he doesn’t deserve one’. At the lowest point of his season, Nadal slipped to 10th in the rankings, his lowest place since 2005.
After this week’s ATP Finals, Nadal will be playing in the Indian Tennis Premier League (IPTL) for the Indian Aces team. Besides his participation in the tournament, Nadal will practice in his native Mallorca. He will be joined there for a couple days by Portuguese world No.33 Joao Sousa for training.
Nadal’s 46th meeting with Djokovic will take place at 14:00 BST on Saturday.
