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Rafael Nadal: 'For everybody there are tough moments. This year, mine came'

I n a discreet corner of an elegant hotel in Paris, Rafael Nadal remembers his part in one of the most public displays of sporting pain this year. On 1 February, in Melbourne, Nadal had just won his sixth grand slam tournament by once again beating Roger Federer in another epic clash between the world's two best tennis players. It seemed as if Federer had finally cracked when, his mouth crumpling, he just managed to get the words out: "God, it's killing me."

Federer then cried openly, as Nadal consoled his vanquished opponent. The young Spaniard had already done his best to help Federer by saying to him, with real compassion, "Remember you are a great champion and one of the best in history – and you will beat Pete Sampras's 14 titles for sure." In his obsessive pursuit of Sampras's record number of grand slam victories, Federer had crashed into the muscled wall of Nadal. And yet, touchingly, Nadal felt such sympathy for the man whose dream he kept ruining. "For sure," he says earnestly in Paris. "He always did a very good job for our sport and he is a nice person. I have spent the most important moments of my career playing against Roger – and the same is for him, too, playing against me. So we have a big respect and, off the court, we have a very good relationship."

Nadal has won 13 of their 20 matches and, most tellingly, five of his seven grand slam finals against Federer. In Melbourne, surely he thought he had the definitive mental edge over Federer? "No. For everybody there are tough moments. Unluckily for me, this year mine came when I arrived at the most important tournaments in the worst possible condition. You always have some ups and downs and, in that moment, Roger was a little down. But he was down in the final. It was not like he was losing in the second round. And the rest of the year he has had a lot of good moments."

Next week, at the O2 Arena in London, they will both play in the ATP World Tour Finals – when the top eight men gather for one last lucrative tournament before their brief winter break. Much has changed since Australia; the remainder of 2009 saw Nadal down and hurting while Federer was up and soaring into history. After struggling with a recurring knee injury, and his shock defeat at the hands of Robin Soderling in the fourth round at the French Open, Nadal was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon and spend 10 weeks at home in Manacor in Mallorca. It seemed as if fate had intervened and, in order to help Federer fulfil his destiny, removed Nadal from his path.

Federer overcame his French Open neurosis to win his 14th grand slam while, three weeks later, he achieved his record-breaking 15th victory at Wimbledon. "It was a hard moment for me," Nadal admits. "I can't play Wimbledon and it's my favourite tournament. I also lost at Roland Garros and I have a few personal problems. So everything coming together made it hard."

Nadal's gaze remains steady as he recounts the source of that turmoil. "My parents' divorce made an important change in my life. It affected me. After that, when I can't play Wimbledon, it was tough. For one month I was outside the world."

Nadal looks terribly young amid that quiet admission. "I am OK now," the 23-year-old says of his parents' divorce, "but you need time to accept. And it's more difficult to accept when you are outside home and don't know what's happening. At least the injury gave me time to be with my friends and family."

Severe tendinitis and the collapse of his parent's marriage undermined Nadal's composure at Roland Garros. "I played with less calm. One of the reasons was the pain in the knees. And I was down because of the divorce. Soderling played really well and he beat me. But I wasn't ready, mentally or physically, this year."

Nadal's return to London will spark inevitable memories of Wimbledon – for he last played tennis here when defeating Federer in the 2008 final in a match many considered the greatest ever. The Spaniard hesitates at that grand judgment. "I don't know if the level of tennis is the best ever," he says of a match so badly affected by rain. "But if we are speaking about what it means to me, then probably it is my greatest moment."

In the midst of excruciating tension, as he and Federer were dragged off court in the fifth set, Nadal retreated to the locker room to eat a banana and calm his coach and uncle, Toni. "I said to Toni, 'I think I'm going to win and if I lose it will be because Roger plays well – not because of me. I don't want to make any mental mistakes.'"

It almost sounds as if enjoyed that test of his character? "I was suffering a little bit!" Nadal laughs. "But the year before I lost to Roger in the fifth set. It was hard for me to lose when I had three or four break points in that fifth set [which Federer won 6-2]. What killed me was that second break. If I lose 6-3 or 6-4 with one break I accept. But I was angry with myself to lose that second break. That made it seem as if I wasn't ready mentally."

Like Federer in Australia, Nadal broke down after that 2007 defeat – and his uncle spoke of him "crying like an animal" that night. "It was tough," Nadal concedes. "I cried because you never know if you'll have another chance to win."

These gut-wrenching reactions from Nadal and Federer illustrate why their rivalry is so consuming – and yet their empathy lends the best kind of humanity to a sporting battle. "It's important to have people around you with enough confidence to say if you are not acting in a good way. Normally, when you are at the top, people say everything is fantastic. Probably in that moment it is what you want to hear but it's best to be reminded how to act properly."

His words contrast with Andre Agassi's claims in his recent autobiography that, despite winning eight grand slams, he "hated tennis" and sought refuge in crystal meth. Nadal raises an eyebrow. "I think it's impossible to be on the circuit 15 years and hate tennis. I always saw Andre playing with motivation and passion."

Have Agassi's confessions damaged tennis? "It's a big thing for the ATP. I understand if he was depressed he might have taken something so I don't want to criticise Andre for taking crystal meth. But everybody must be treated the same. Just because he is Andre Agassi he should not escape sanction. Tennis is a hard sport. There is a lot of competition all year and you play alone. Mentally and physically it is one of the toughest sports – but that's no reason to take these products [drugs]."

Tennis's year-round schedule also does not allow its star players to recover between seasons. "I completely agree," Nadal exclaims. "Maybe you could have nine months where it is obligatory to play and three months where you are free not to. In those three months there could be tournaments – but not decisive tournaments which affect your ranking. But we have the sponsors to consider. The ATP want to do it but I think it's going be better for the next generation than us."

Considering that grinding circuit, and the intense physicality of his tennis, many pundits believe Nadal has only a few years left in the game. Is he angered by those gloomy forecasts? "No, it doesn't bother me. People forget I started [professionally] at 16. And this is my fifth straight year in the top two. I'm not thinking about stopping yet, but most players start at 20 and if they finish at 29 nobody will say they've had a short career. If I finish at 25 I'm going to have had the same career as them. People will say it's a short career, but I don't agree."

Is it possible to imagine himself still playing in five years? "I can't say yes or no. You never know. I'm going to play as long as I can and, right now, I feel motivated to finish the year well – and to win the Davis Cup for Spain [against the Czech Republic] next month. The 02 will be tough because indoors is the most difficult surface for me. But I will try my best in London."

Andy Murray, who replaced Nadal as world No2 for a few weeks during the Spaniard's long injury break, will be fired up in front of a British crowd . Yet Novak Djokovic, who beat Nadal in straight sets in the Paris Masters on Saturday, having also defeated Federer the previous week, is the hottest player in tennis.

Nadal, however, places Murray on an equal footing with the Serb. "In my opinion Djokovic and Murray are still a little bit better than [world No5 and US Open champion] Juan Martín del Potro. Murray has not won a grand slam yet, but his results are better than Del Potro's."

Will Murray win a grand slam? "I think he can. Any player who is No3 in the world will have a lot of chances to win a grand slam. He's only 22, and so he will improve."

After the most difficult year of his career Nadal himself is still driven by a simple purity of purpose. It underpins both his ferocious dedication to tennis and his winning humility off court: "I always work with a goal – and the goal is to improve as a player and a person. That, finally, is the most important thing of all."

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#TBT: Nikolay Davydenko's 2009 ATP World Tour Finals victory

• Author: Courtney Nguyen

Former No. 3 Nikolay Davydenko formally announced his retirement on Thursday, putting to bed a 15-year career that put the 33-year-old Russian in the running for one of the best players never win a Slam, let alone make a Slam final. He won 21 ATP titles, including three ATP Masters 1000s, and was a four-time Slam semifinalist. But his crowning achievement came just five years ago at the 2009 ATP World Tour Finals, where he defeated Novak Djokovic , Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro to win the biggest title of his career.

#TBT: The 2008 Beijing Olympics put tennis back in the spotlight

​Davydenko began the 2009 season ranked No. 5 but an injury-plagued first half of the season left him outside of the top ten in May. His qualification bid for the World Tour Finals finally earned a boost when he won the Shanghai Rolex Masters, beating No. 4 Djokovic in the semifinals and No. 2 Nadal in the final. Full of confidence and finally healthy, he headed to the World Tour Finals as the sixth-seed, after Andy Roddick was forced to withdraw with injury.

Here's how the elite eight were seeded:

• Roger Federer
• Rafael Nadal
• Novak Djokovic
• Andy Murray
• Juan Martin del Potro
• Nikolay Davydenko
• Fernando Verdasco
• Robin Soderling

Getty Images/Getty Images for Barclays ATP Finals

​Davydenko was drawn into Group B along with Djokovic, Nadal and Soderling -- three players he didn't have a winning record against. He was 3-4 vs. Nadal, 2-2 vs. Djokovic and 3-6 against Soderling. A runner-up at the World Tour Finals the year before, Davydenko once again found his mojo. In the first staging of the World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena, the Russian played an incredible level of tennis on his march to the title.   

Round Robin, Match No. 1: Davydenko vs. Djokovic

CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images

​Davydenko loses but shows what a threat he is, pushing Djokovic deep into a third set before losing 3-6, 6-4, 7-5​. At his best, Davydenko hugged the baseline, took the ball incredibly early and hit it back flat. His backhand was his best shot and his forehand could be a weapon when it was on. Opponents complained about the pressure they felt playing the Russian, saying they felt rushed through shot after shot as Davydenko took time away in the rallies.

Throwback Thursday: The 2005 Shanghai Masters Cup

​Djokovic came into the match after back-to-back wins in Basel and the Paris Masters. It had not been a good year for Djokovic, who struggled for much of the season after switching rackets from Wilson to Head. His only loss after making the U.S. Open had come to Davydenko at the Shanghai Masters a few weeks earlier. Djokovic broke Davydenko early in the third set but was broken back when he served for the match. But Davydenko's serve, always a liability, was broken again and Djokovic won the match.

Highlights:

[youtube=http://youtu.be/L4uS0D4KRSU]

Round Robin, Match No. 2: Davydenko vs. Nadal

GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images

​Davydenko retires as the only active player to play Nadal 10 or more times and walk away with a winning record. He was 6-5 against the Spaniard, and two of those wins came in 2009, when Davydenko beat Nadal in the Shanghai Masters final and then beat him again a few weeks later at the World Tour Finals. Davydenko beat Nadal 6-1, 7-6 (4) in group play to eliminate him from the tournament (Nadal had lost to Soderling in straight sets in his first match). "I'm not so happy," Davydenko said after the match. "It's a round-robin, it's not like I've won the tournament. I show my good tennis today. I was surprised. We'll see if I can show the same tennis in the third match. ​[against Soderling]."

What was it about Davydenko that caused Nadal so many problems? Here's Nadal after losing to him in Shanghai that year. "Probably he's a guy, well, calm guy," he said. "Doesn't show no emotions sometimes. The people probably don't talk a lot about him, but the players, we know how good is Nikolay, no? And when he's playing his best level, he's very difficult to play against him. He has all the shots from the baseline. He has all the shots. He play inside the court, and he's very difficult to play. It's very difficult to play against him.​"

[youtube=http://youtu.be/UorPxEdICtg]

Round Robin, Match No. 3: Davydenko vs. Soderling

​Davydenko's fate was in his own hands going into his final round robin match. He beat Soderling, the man who handed Nadal his only loss ever at Roland Garros that year, and he qualified for the semifinals. It took Davydenko three sets but he got it done, winning 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/eeADTkqg9Rk]

Semifinals: Davydenko vs. Federer

IAN KINGTON/AFP/Getty Images

​Davydenko came into the match 0-12 against Federer and he was the only man in the top ten Davydenko had never beaten. In fact, in those 12 matches, Davydenko only managed to win four sets. This time he was coming off the big win over Nadal and said he felt no pressure. "Really don't think about anything," Davydenko said. "Just think about, 'Okay, I losing, tomorrow go home, next day already Maldives.' That's really my mind. Really don't care. I have no pressure. I know I was play good."

#TBT: Asian men's tennis star, Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan

​Davydenko had just 15 hours to recover from his win over Soderling, while Federer had an extra day off. The two split the first two sets and the match was decided on the smallest of margins. Neither man broke serve until Federer served at 5-all. Davydenko was able to scramble a break behind some great returning and he would hold serve to win.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/t_z0xMd52J0​]

Final: Davydenko vs. Del Potro

Julian Finney/Getty Images

#TBT: 2007 Wimbledon match sets Ivanovic, Vaidisova on opposite paths

After back-to-back three set wins over players who owned him, Davydenko faced 22-year-old U.S. Open champion Del Potro in the Masters final. This time the Russian had no problems, winning 6-3, 6-4 to win the title. After the match, Del Potro tipped his cap to the Russian, and spawned one of the best tennis nicknames of the past decade. "He's very fast," Del Potro said. "He play like PlayStation. You know, he run to everywhere. Is very difficult to make winners."

[youtube:http://youtu.be/zlHrEbgIq0E]

As for Davydenko, he hoped that the win would bolster his popularity in Russia. A quiet man with a game that appeared weaponless on its surface, Davydenko didn't have the dynamic personality of the Russian champions who came before him. Though he never won a Slam, he was the only Russian man to finish in the top 10 for five consecutive years. "I hope after this tournament I coming more famous in Russia," he said. "For me it's really important. I know always I was [disappointed] really, like in Moscow I play against Marat [Safin]. Mostly, like 80%, support Safin this match. For sure is last tournament for him. But I saw how many people like him, how support him, how [they] enjoy how Marat play. For me it's really a little bit disappointment, really. I hope now Marat is finished, now is no more famous in Russia. And, yeah, I hope for the next, like in the futures, I be famous for Russia and everybody support me."

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History Of The Nitto ATP Finals

Men's professional tennis has always featured a year-end championship ever since Jack Kramer, the first executive director of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), implemented the Grand Prix structure of a year-long series of tennis tournaments in 1969 . Right from the first Masters in Tokyo in December 1970 it became a prestigious event, and was subsequently held in Paris, Barcelona, Boston, Melbourne, Stockholm, and Houston before the event started a 13-year association with Madison Square Garden in New York from 1977 to 1989 . The Masters evolved into the ATP Tour World Championships in 1990 . Frankfurt and Hannover shared the event through 1999 . In 2000 , the event was rebranded Tennis Masters Cup and was held in Lisbon, Sydney, Houston and Shanghai. In 2009 , the event moved to The O2 in London, the world's busiest entertainment arena, as the Nitto ATP Finals and celebrated the 50-year anniversary in 2020. After a successful 12-year stint in London, the tournament moved to Turin in 2021 .

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ATP World Tour Finals

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The ATP World Tour Finals is the season-ending competition in men's professional tennis, featuring the top-eight singles players (and doubles teams) in the world rankings. Participants are split into two groups of four for round-robin play before traditional semifinal and final rounds determine a champion. Evolved from the year-end tournament known as the Masters Grand Prix that began in 1970, the ATP World Tour Finals has been held at the O2 Arena in London since 2009, when Barclays became the event sponsor. Roger Federer won a record-breaking sixth season-ending title in 2011.

The origin of the ATP World Tour Finals dates back to 1970, when the International Tennis Federation set up a grand prix structure of year-long events to culminate with a Masters event in Tokyo in December that featured the top-ranking men's players for that season. (The ITF rival tour, the World Championship Tennis Tour, also featured a season-ending event at the time, the WCT Finals.)

Ilie Nastase won four Masters titles in five appearances between 1971 and 1975, as the ITF became linked with the Association of Tennis Professionals, which would eventually run the men's tour. The year-end Masters moved to other major cities around the world in its first decade, including Paris, Barcelona, Boston, Melbourne, Stockholm, and Houston, before establishing a home at Madison Square Garden in New York from 1977 to 1989.

Bjorn Borg of Sweden won back-to-back events in 1979 and 1980, while American John McEnroe won three titles in his hometown. Ivan Lendl reached nine consecutive finals from 1980 to 1988, winning the championship in five of those years.

The event's name was changed to the ATP Tour World Championships in 1990, and it was held in Frankfurt and Hanover in Germany from 1990 to 1999. Those championships were dominated by Pete Sampras of the U.S., who won five titles during that period to tie Lendl's record mark.

The ITF and ATP made additional changes after the 1999 competition, when the ATP Tour World Championship and the men's Grand Slam Cup (a tourney held between 1990 and 1999) were discontinued and replaced by a new jointly owned, year-end men's event called the Tennis Masters Cup. Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten made history in the inaugural Tennis Masters Cup (played in Lisbon, Portugal) by becoming the first South American to finish the year with ATP's No. 1 ranking by defeating Sampras and Andre Agassi in the semifinals and final, respectively.

Australian Lleyton Hewitt won on home soil when the Tennis Masters Cup moved to Sydney in 2001, and he repeated as champion the following year in Shanghai. After two years in Houston -- with Roger Federer of Switzerland the victor both times -- the tournament returned to Shanghai for a four-year run from 2005 to 2008. Federer won successive titles in 2006 and 2007 before Novak Djokovic captured his first Tennis Masters Cup in 2008.

The event was renamed in 2009 as the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, with the O2 Arena in London named as host for the 2009 through 2012 tournaments. After Nikolay Davydenko won the 2009 edition, Federer claimed the trophy for a fifth time in 2010, equaling the mark of most individual titles set by Lendl and Sampras. He followed that up with another win in 2011, setting the event record with his sixth championship.

Format/Qualification

Qualification of entrants for the ATP World Tour Finals is based on ATP Tour rankings for that calendar year:

1. A selection list for the event includes: a) The top seven players in the ATP rankings as of the Monday after the final ATP World Tour tournament of the calendar year; b) Up to two Grand Slam winners from that year, in order of their positions, ranked between 8 and 20 in the ATP rankings as of that qualification date; and c) Players positioned eight and below in the ATP rankings as of that qualification date.

2. Direct Acceptances: The top-eight players in the selection list qualify for the event as direct acceptances. All direct acceptances must be available for play through the completion of the round-robin competition and the knockout competition, if eligible. Any withdrawal is replaced by the next highest positioned player on the selection list.

The O2 Arena is a multipurpose indoor arena located in London that has hosted numerous sporting events and musical/entertainment acts. Part of a larger O2 entertainment complex on the Greenwich peninsula in London, the arena was opened in 2007 after three years of construction that redeveloped the Millennium Dome venue that housed the Millennium Experience in the city.

With an overall diameter of 365 meters and a volume equal to two of London's old Wembley Stadiums, the O2 Arena is the second largest arena in the United Kingdom. Various seating arrangements can be set up for events at the arena, which can hold a maximum capacity of 20,000.

The O2 Arena has played host to NHL regular-season games, NBA exhibition games, a number of UFC mixed martial arts events and the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in 2009. The facility was selected to serve as the home for tennis' ATP World Tour Finals from 2009 to 2012 and will become a venue for gymnastics and basketball events at the 2012 Olympic Games.

ATP World Tour Finals Year-by-Year Results

Gravy on a grand season.

Novak Djokovic is your top dog for a reason. He held off Roger Federer 7-6 (6), 7-5 to win the World Tour Finals championship. Story »

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Sabalenka thwarts Rybakina to make third Madrid final; faces Swiatek

2024 Madrid

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MADRID -- World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka came back from the brink to keep her title defense alive at the Mutua Madrid Open, defeating No.4 Elena Rybakina 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) in the semifinals on Thursday night. The victory put Sabalenka into her third Madrid final and ended Rybakina's 16-match clay-court winning streak. 

Sabalenka will face World No.1 Iga Swiatek in a rematch of last year's final on Saturday. Last year, Sabalenka won 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to capture her second Madrid title. It will be the 10th career meeting between the two and the first showdown between the World No.1 and No.2 this season.  

Tale of the tape: Entering the match, Sabalenka held a 5-3 edge in the head-to-head, but Rybakina had won three of their last four meetings, including a dominant straight-set win in the final of the Brisbane International in January.

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Not letting go of that crown 👑😤 @SabalenkaA completes a sensational comeback victory against Rybakina and sets up a repeat of last year's final against World No.1 Swiatek! #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/rVNcNMucOH — wta (@WTA) May 2, 2024

Match notes: Coming off a dramatic match-point-saving win over Yulia Putintseva in the quarterfinals, Rybakina was nearly untouchable in the first set. Serving at 75 percent, the tour's ace leader played a clean, methodical set to beat Sabalenka with pace and depth from the baseline. She pocketed the set in just 24 minutes, hitting seven winners to just three from Sabalenka. 

The softest of soft hands 🤹‍♀️ Elena Rybakina | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/JpVkO5uJw3 — wta (@WTA) May 2, 2024

But Sabalenka grew in confidence after a string of love service holds in the second set. She has enjoyed a resurgence in Madrid, making her first semifinal since her Melbourne triumph. Her rousing three-set win over Danielle Collins in the fourth round ended the American's 15-match winning streak. She followed it with a resounding straight-set win over Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals. 

"I was struggling a lot on my serve in the first set, and definitely, easy games on my serve gave me a bit more belief that I still got some chances in this match," Sabalenka said. "That's kind of gave me an extra energy to keep fighting and keep trying on her serve to break her and get back in the match."

Turning point: Sabalenka earned her first break of the match to get back on serve at 4-4 in the second set and nearly recovered from a 0-40 deficit in the next game. But Rybakina's depth and width put Sabalenka on the run once again. The 2022 Wimbledon champion broke for a fourth time but could not serve out the win. Serving at 5-4, 30-30, Rybakina pulled a short forehand well wide and then, on break point, pushed a tired backhand long to give Sabalenka the game. 

"Probably that was the key moment," Sabalenka said. "That's why I'm saying, I don't know how I was able to come back in this match. Probably she missed her opportunities. I used my opportunities. Yeah, that's it."

With her comeback hopes reinvigorated, Sabalenka overpowered Rybakina to seal her run of three straight games to take the second set. After hitting just three winners in the first set, Sabalenka clocked 16 in the second.

60 - Aryna Sabalenka has become the player with the most games dropped en route to reach the final at the Madrid Open (60) since the tournament's inception in 2009. Battles. #MMOPEN | @MutuaMadridOpen @WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/7I0cZM5y6c — OptaAce (@OptaAce) May 2, 2024

The third set rolled with the server through the first 10 games before Rybakina broke through to earn the first break points of the set. Sabalenka wiped both chances away and then, with her fourth ace of the match and a line-clipping forehand winner, held to lead 6-5. After dodging Rybakina's final surge, Sabalenka raced through the tiebreak to seal the win over 2 hours and 17 minutes. 

Sabalenka finished the big-hitting match with 35 winners to 29 unforced errors. Rybakina struck 31 winners to 23 unforced errors.

Two great champions ⭐️🫂⭐️ #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/oDyvF7Pzlk — wta (@WTA) May 2, 2024

Stat of the match: Sabalenka improved to 6-0 over Rybakina in three-set matches. The win ended Rybakina's 12-match win streak in deciding sets. 

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