The Spaniard, with his son in Turin, explains that he has his “possibilities” of being a Master although he arrives “without rhythm”
MADRID, 11 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal was optimistic this Friday at the presentation of the ATP Finals at the Gallerie d’Italia, inside the majestic Piazza San Carlo in Turin, with “possibilities” of being crowned Master for the first time, although he also acknowledged that the lack of “rhythm” is a major handicap for his game.
“I arrive without rhythm, but in Paris I was playing well, winning a set and a break against a good player like Tommy Paul. I am happy because I have been able to train and I come with the hope of doing well. If I didn’t think I had options to fight for what I came, I wouldn’t be here. I think I have my chances,” he told ATP.com, after the start of the Masters Cup.
The Spaniard, who has options to finish for the sixth season as number one in the world, celebrated having been able to train well in the last days after the defeat in his debut in Paris-Bercy, where he paid for the inactivity of the last few months. “Nothing important happened to me. I haven’t competed in a long time. I had a little stomach problem. I’m fine. A bad day and then I was able to train normally again without problems,” he said.
“It is evident that in the last five months I have played very little. Unfortunately what happened at Wimbledon happened and since then I have played very little. They have been a series of negative circumstances on a physical level. For me it is important to finish the year competing, something that I couldn’t do in 2021. You never know. Many times in sport things change radically. I’m playing well”, he added.
The champion of 22 ‘greats’, who revealed that his son -born a month ago- accompanies him for the first time in the Circuit, will be measured in Turin within the Green Group with Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Taylor Fritz, after Thursday’s draw. “Here you know that you play against the best. You can have a series of preferences, but if you do not play at a very high level you will not have real options. I do not like coming back from an injury in Cincinnati or Paris, where you are going to play against someone very good from the beginning,” he explained.
Nadal confessed that 2022, although it has given him four titles including the Australian Open and Roland Garros, has had too many physical mishaps. “Unfortunately I have broken my abdominal twice this year: at Wimbledon and the week before the US Open, even though I hadn’t said anything. That forced me to serve in a different way than I do. It’s important for me to play some tournaments. consecutively. I need continuity,” he said.
“Let’s see if next year I get it, that’s why I’ve signed up to play the United Cup the first week of the season. I want to spend more days on the circuit, competing and training. At this point in my career, you get feedback of the illusion, of being competitive training with the best”, he added.
On the other hand, the man from Manacor referred to the absence of this Masters Cup in his record, the only major tournament that is missing. “I have lacked to be better. It is the reality of the sport. To be a better player indoors. To give myself more opportunities. I have qualified 17 times, but I have not been competitive those 17 times”, he pointed out.
“I have lacked to be better on the indoor track, which is where I have always played this tournament, in fast conditions. Historically it has been the worst surface for me. It is not a matter of nerves. I have won things in my career that have not caused me that feeling. I just haven’t been good enough in this part of the year and in these circumstances to win this tournament,” he added, recalling more bitterly the 2020 semi-final loss to Daniil Medvedev.
