Rafael Nadal lands in Paris ahead of Paris Masters, begins training for first tournament as father
Rafael Nadal has landed in Paris ahead of his participation in the Paris Masters, the final Masters 1000 event of the year. The 22-time Grand Slam champion, whose final tournament of the season before the ATP Tour Finals will also come in Paris, was seen training on-site ahead of his stint in the competition, as revealed by videos posted on the tournament's Instagram page.
: Rolex Paris MasterPracticing with Quentin Halys 🇫🇷
🎥: Rolex Paris Master https://t.co/J2aPIUuRS4
Practicing with France's very own Quentin Halys, the Mallorcan was spotted exchanging a couple of rallies with the youngster, flexing the full might of his forehand.
The pair also tested out their net skills for a bit, as the former World No. 1 added a few rallies to the mix to give the Frenchman a good training session ahead of the competition.
Rafa’s first practice at Paris-Bercy 🤌🔥🇫🇷 https://t.co/1sgqODVUrT
While Nadal will be the second seed, just behind World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, Halys has been handed a wildcard for the qualification rounds alongside Dominic Thiem, Ugo Humbert and Hugo Gaston.
The main draw of the tournament is scheduled to take place between October 31 and November 6, with the qualifiers set to take place over the previous two days.
Rafael Nadal yet to win Paris Masters in his career
The Paris Masters has been one of those rare tournaments Rafael Nadal has never won, with his best result being a runner-up finish. The World No. 2 reached the final of the 2007 edition, losing to David Nalbandian in straight sets.
Since then, the Mallorcan has appeared in seven editions, reaching at least the quarterfinals in every single one. Nadal reached the semifinals in 2009, 2013, 2019 and 2020, marking his second-best result at the event. Last year, however, the southpaw had to pull out of the competition due to a foot injury.
From there on, the 22-time Grand Slam champion will move on to the ATP Tour Finals to finish the year, another tournament he is yet to win in his career. As of now, Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic have booked their spots in the Year-end Championships alongside the Spaniard, while the remaining three places are up for grabs.
Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Felix Auger-Aliassime are currently occupying those spots, with Taylor Fritz and Hubert Hurkacz following close behind. The last time the 36-year-old competed in the ATP Tour Finals was in 2020, where he reached the semifinals before falling to eventual winner Medvedev.