Watch: Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni flashes a wide grin after nephew delights him with incredible smash winner at ATP finals
Rafael Nadal produced a delectable smash winner to end an intense exchange with Casper Ruud at the ATP Finals in Turin on Thursday.
The match was a dead rubber as Ruud was already assured of winning the group, while Nadal was out of semifinal contention after losing his first two clashes in straight sets. Nevertheless, the rematch of the 2022 Roland Garros final was a competitive, high-octane affair.
During the first set, there was a back-and-forth exchange between the two players. On Nadal's serve, Ruud kept the ball in play and retreived an overhead, but the Spaniard unleashed a spectacular crosscourt overhead smash winner to take the point.
🖼 of a smash! An 🎨🖼 of a smash!
@RafaelNadal | #NittoATPFinals https://t.co/0LLjQSulI2
Nadal would go on to break Ruud in the 12th game to take the set. Another break in the second set sufficed as the Spaniard registered his first win in three matches to end his campaign on a high.
"The season didn’t end the way that I wanted, (but) at least I finished with a positive victory" - Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal has had an injury-plagued last quarter of the season. After making the US Open fourth round (losing to Frances Tiafoe), the Spaniard only returned to singles action at the Paris Masters earlier this month, where he lost to Tommy Paul in the opening round.
Arriving in Turin after the birth of his first child, Nadal clearly looked off-color in his straight-set defeats to Taylor Fritz and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Those results also put paid to his hopes of ending the year as the World No. 1 for the sixth time, as he fell out of semifinal reckoning. The Spaniard needed to win the tournament to usurp his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz atop the rankings.
Nadal didn't look at his fluent best in the early exchanges against Ruud, who missed a backhand pass to break Nadal and serve for the set. The former World N. 1, though, brought his legendary fighting qualities to the fore — engineering late breaks in each set to take the win.
Simply. Too. Good. 💪
@RafaelNadal defeats Casper Ruud 7-5 7-5 at the #NittoATPFinals https://t.co/bPc8nR7cb6
Despite not ending the season in the best way possible, Nadal was happy to end the campaign with a win. In his on-court interview, he said:
“I accept that the season didn’t end the way that I wanted, (but) at least I finished with a positive victory. It’s important, the last official match of the season, so I am happy for that. At the end I am happy about that. … I was able to win against a great player.”
Rafael Nadal ended his 2022 campaign with a 39-8 record, winning four titles, including the Australian Open and Roland Garros.