"Definitely a new surface" - Rafael Nadal jokes about colour of hardcourts used in 2022 ATP Finals
After suffering an unexpected loss to Tommy Paul in the second round of the recently concluded Paris Masters, Rafael Nadal landed in Turin to compete in the ATP Finals. He will make his debut in the Italian city and is the top seed at the event following World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz's untimely withdrawal due to injury.
The Spaniard is a part of the Green Group, along with Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Taylor Fritz. Meanwhile, his arch-rival Novak Djokovic is in the Red Group with Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev.
¡Grupos definidos en las ATP Finals! https://t.co/PJKvDVNAyL
All the players recently attended a pre-tournament gala dinner, where they were spotted basking in the spotlight while seated on a stage.
The southpaw later took to social media to quiz his followers by asking them to guess what the surface was. He gave them three options: Clay, Coffee, and a "no-idea" emoticon. He also joked about the surface, noting that it was "definitely" something new.
"Definitely a new surface.......," the 22-time Grand Slam winner wrote.
Before beginning his campaign against Taylor Fritz, the 36-year-old was also observed honing his skills during a practice session with Felix Auger-Aliassime. ATP officials took to Twitter to post a video of the two players practicing.
Afinando antes del debut 🔥
@RafaelNadal | #NittoATPFinals https://t.co/PPyvysDodi
"Just give myself a chance to enjoy another World Tour Finals, you never know when gonna be the last, especially at my age"- Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal remarked during a press conference for the Paris Masters that even if he hasn't been in top shape for a few months, all he needs to do is practice with his fellow players to be ready for the ATP Finals, a tournament he has never won.
"I'm excited about playing, even if haven't been the perfect couple of months for me, of course. But, yeah, nothing to lose. After a good year, going there, just trying my best. At the end I need days on the tour, you know. It's true that for the last five months I didn't spend enough days on the tour," Nadal said.
"Practicing with the guys. That's what I need. I gonna try. Nothing happen, if I feeling okay, to be there a little bit earlier than usual and have some practices," he continued.
The Spaniard continued by saying that, given his age, he will "enjoy" the year-ending tournament because he never knows when it will be his last.
"Just give myself a chance to enjoy another World Tour Finals, no? You never know when gonna be the last, especially at my age. So I gonna give my best to enjoy this one, and then next years of course I gonna fight to be back there," he said.