After a turbulent year on the tour, Rafael Nadal ends 2015 with an upsurge in his form as he eyes a solid run at the ATP Finals.
The 9-time French Open champion has claimed three titles on the ATP Tour this year in Buenos Aires, Stuttgart and Hamburg. Despite his trio of titles, the Spaniard has also endured disappointment in the higher level events by failing to reach the last four at a Grand Slam tournament this season for the first time since 2005. Nadal also ends his 2015 season with no Masters titles for the first time since 2004.
Despite the below-par season for somebody of Nadal’s calibre, the Spaniard is making a strong finish to his year after reaching two finals within a month before losing to Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. Last month at the Shanghai Rolex Masters Nadal defeated two top ten players at the same tournament for the first time this year. During an interview with the Daily Mail, the 29-year-old has put the improvement in his performance down to him having better control of his emotions.
“I was able to improve during the whole season, especially the last couple of months. I’ve felt that I am playing better and better, I feel that I am enjoying it again, the fact that I am playing my style and I am able to play a little bit more aggressive game because I am in control of my emotions.’ Nadal told Sportsmail.
Nadal will end his season at the prestigious ATP Finals for the 7th time in his career. Despite never winning the event, which has a prize money estimate of $7M this year, the world No.5 has reached the finals twice in 2010 and 2013. Looking ahead to his final event of 2015 at the O2 Arena, Nadal has called for the surface of the event to change but not necessarily the venue.
‘I am not sure if it is 100 per cent fair that we qualify for the World Tour Finals playing on grass, hard, clay and indoors, and since 2005, when I qualified [for the first time], it is already 11 years that every single time [it has been] on indoor hard,’ says Nadal.
‘If it’s indoor at the 02, then great, but you can build a different type of surface there. It is a fantastic place to organise a World Tour Finals. The atmosphere is just amazing and I am very happy it is there. I enjoy it every time I have had the chance to be there, but we can play on clay there too.‘ He added.
The event has never been hosted on a clay court. In recent years Nadal, who is nicknamed ‘the king of clay’ due to his massive success on the surface, has repeatedly called for a change in surface.
Surfaces used for ATP Final events between 1970-2015.
| Surface | Times played |
| Carpet | 27 |
| Grass | 1 |
| Indoor Hard | 16 |
| Outdoor Hard | 2 |
The rejuvenation in Nadal’s passion for the sport can be shown with his intense ‘warm-up’ practices which could last over an hour. According to the Daily Mail, one of Nadal’s ‘warm-up’ sessions in Shanghai lasted 17 minutes more than his match that day. Speaking about the sessions, the world No.5 says that this approach is vital for him and his 2016 season.
‘I am working so hard every day to arrive in the best shape possible, but it is not a sacrifice for me because that is what my head is asking me now. I have the motivation to arrive in good condition at the beginning of the [next] season. Working like this I believe I can have a good season.’
The ATP Finals will get underway at the O2 Arena on Sunday November 15th. The draw for the tournament, which will consist of two groups playing in a round-robin format, will take place on Thursday evening.
