Nadal avoided going winless at the ATP Finals.
Rafael Nadal couldn’t hide his happiness after finally clinching his first victory since becoming a dad. On Thursday, Nadal defeated Casper Ruud 7-5 7-5 in his final group stage match at the ATP Finals. Previously, Nadal lost his opener at the Paris Masters and was also beaten in his first two group matches at the ATP Finals.
But on Thursday, Nadal got the job done against Ruud and ensured he would not finish the ATP Finals winless. “I finally won a match as dad because I had three losses in a row,” Nadal said in Italian following his win over Ruud.
Nadal set to return home and enjoy some time with family
Now, Nadal is returning home as he plans to spend some quality with his family before kicking off his preparation for the 2023 season. “Going to be back home and try to enjoy little bit the fact that I will be home for a while, family and work.
Well, work? For me is not work, is practice. Just practice, try to make the right plan to be able to stay healthy enough and to stay ready for the beginning of the next season. How early? I can’t tell you yet because, as you can imagine now, my life changed a little bit.
I don’t make unilateral decisions. I need to check a little bit,” Nadal explained after the match. Meanwhile, Nadal won’t be representing Spain at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. Also, there is a chance Nadal never again plays in the Davis Cup.
“For the Davis Cup I wasn’t an option this year, the captain knew that I could not put all my passion, confidence and spirit like in 2019. Roberto Bautista-Agut and Pablo Carreño Busta can beat everyone. We’ll see if Spain have chances,” Nadal said. Nadal is expected to return to action at the inaugural United Cup.
