Nadal is committed to ending this ATP season as position one. This year alone, Nadal has already won four major titles, including the French Open and the US Open. Besides. He made it into the finals during the Australian Open. His recent performances and stats confirm the fighting spirit in him.
His coach and uncle, Toni, seem to understand why Rafa keeps fighting daily. The 58-year-old cited personal motivation, challenging Roger Federer’s record of many Grand Slam titles and finishing at the top of the ATP rankings as reasons why Nadal keeps on fighting.
Toni further admitted that his nephew usually has a hard time finishing at the top by the time an ATP season comes to a close. Most of the time, Nadal ends his season due to an injury hence missing out on the top spot. However, his uncle is hopeful that this year, the Spaniard is well placed to be the new world no 1. Meanwhile, he has accumulated more points than Novak Djokovic, his closest competitor.
Nadal will be focusing on beating Novak Djokovic to grab the world number one rank before the year ends. Currently, the two top players are in Kazakhstan, where they will participate in an exhibition match. Unfortunately, their decision to take part in an exhibition at the expense of the latest ATP tour received dire criticism from Thomas Muster, a former world No 1. They missed the Vienna and Basel ATP events.
Nadal leading the year to date rankings
Up to date, Nadal is still leading in terms of most points in this season’s ATP singles, Race to London Rankings. With the Rolex Paris Masters just around the corner, Rafa and Djokovic are expected to battle it out for the top spot. An excellent performance by the Spaniard in Paris and London will mean he maintains his lead and ends the year as the new World No 1.
Both Nadal and Djokovic are having a fantastic season this year. Djokovic won the Wimbledon and Australian Open tournaments with Nadal winning the US Open and French Open championships.
His wrist injury
Nadal is set to feature in a tennis match for the first time since September when he will be facing Djokovic during an exhibition match in Kazakhstan. The Spaniard will be making a return from a wrist injury he sustained at the Laver Cup, forcing him to withdraw from his games.
After withdrawing from the Laver Cup, Nadal is yet to feature in any tournament. But it appears he is about to get back to the tennis court. After his wedding with Xisca Perello on 19th October, Nadal left for Kazakhstan, where he is expected to play Djokovic. He will be participating in the upcoming Paris and London tournaments if all goes well.
Rafael Nadal’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.2, Nadal played his last match on the 8th of September when he defeated Daniil Medvedev 7-5 6-3 5-7 4-6 6-4 in the final in U.S. Open to win his 84th career title.
This year Nadal has a 47-6 win-loss record. Nadal has won 4 titles in 2019 in Rome, at the French Open, in Montreal, and at the U.S. Open. The Spaniard was the finalist at the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic’s ranking and performance in 2019
At the moment ranked no.1, Novak played his last match on the 11th of October when he was defeated by Stefanos Tsitsipas 3-6 7-5 6-3 in the quarter in Shanghai.
This year Novak has a 48-9 win-loss record. Novak clinched 4 titles in 2019 at the Australian Open, in Madrid, in Wimbledon and in Tokyo. Djokovic was the finalist in Rome.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic played each other 54 times. The head to head is 28-26 for Djokovic.
The last time that they locked horns, Rafael Nadal won 6-0 4-6 6-1 in the final in Rome in 19th May 2019.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic |
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