TURIN, Italy —
Rafael Nadal says he is
“going to die” trying to return to the level of tennis that saw him capture a
record 22 Grand Slam singles titles after his hopes of a first-ever ATP Finals
title and becoming year end world number one were all but extinguished on
Tuesday.
اضافة اعلان
The 36-year-old
Spaniard was speaking after a 6–3, 6–4 loss to Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime
in Turin.
Nadal has lost
both his matches in Turin — he fell to Taylor Fritz on Sunday — and will need
to win his last Green Group match against Casper Ruud to keep alive his
chances.
Even then it
might be out of his hands.
Ruud — who beat
Auger-Aliassime in their opening clash — faces Taylor Fritz later on Tuesday
and according to the ATP needs just to win a set in that match to eliminate
Nadal.
That would
confirm Nadal’s teenage compatriot, US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz, as
year-ending world number one.
“I mean, I don’t think I forget how to play tennis,
how to be strong enough mentally,” said Nadal, who was playing in just his
third singles match since the
US Open in September.
“I just need to
recover all these positive feelings and all this confidence and all this strong
mentality that I need to be at the level that I want to be … and I don’t know
if I am going to reach that level again. But what I don’t have any doubt, that
I going to die for it.”
Nadal — who has nevertheless won the Australian Open
and French Open this year — praised 19-year-old Alcaraz, who is not able to
play in Turin due to an abdominal injury.
“Just well done
for Carlos in this case,” said Nadal.
‘Very special’
Nadal’s rustiness showed against Auger-Aliassime, who is in the form of
his life having won three titles in October.
“It is great to
win against him, and stay alive in the tournament,” said Auger-Aliassime.
Nadal spurned all
four of his break points in the first set, though his 22-year-old Canadian
opponent produced two superb forehands to stave off a break at 3–3.
Auger-Aliassime
by contrast made no mistake breaking the Spaniard with the only one he was
offered.
The Canadian was
equally clinical when he was presented with two set points converting the first
of them.
Nadal fared
little better in the second set, as the lack of competitive matches showed — he
had taken a break to spend time with his son, who was born in October.
Auger-Aliassime
took the match by the scruff of the neck as he broke Nadal at 1–1, the Spaniard
sending a loose volley long.
Auger-Aliassime was hitting the ball with sublime
accuracy and could afford a rueful smile when one did not go as smoothly,
flying upwards into the roof of the indoor arena.
Nadal had few chances to put Auger-Aliassime under
pressure with the Canadian playing so well but he had a break point on his
rival’s serve at 2–3.
However, once again he
was unable to seize it and Auger-Aliassime went on to hold his serve and was
never troubled from that point on, eventually closing out the match on the
first of two match points.
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