Rafael Nadal isn’t done yet in 2020.
Instead of lounging on his yacht enjoying his 13th French Open triumph and record-tying 20th Grand Slam title, Nadal will play on indoor hard courts this fall at the Paris Masters and Nitto ATP Finals.
The world No. 2 confirmed his participation in those two November events with a recent post on social media.
Nadal has little to no chance of finishing the season No. 1 in the world. Novak Djokovic has announced that he will play next week in Vienna and at the ATP Finals, skipping Paris in between because he cannot add any ranking points as the 2019 champion. Nadal could win Paris and London and Djokovic would still finish the year in the top spot with just a semifinal showing in Vienna even if he gets eliminated during round-robin play at the O2 Arena.
In other words, the No. 1 ranking is not on Nadal’s mind.
Winning Paris and/or London, however, is a much different story. The Spaniard has never lifted the trophy at either event, finishing runner-up in Paris once (his debut appearance in 2007) and twice at the year-end championship (2010 and 2013).
With Djokovic and Roger Federer not play the Paris Masters, a well-rested Nadal will be the odds-on title favorite. This could be his best chance in London, too, even though Djokovic is playing. The Nitto ATP Finals field also features Dominic Thiem, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Alexander Zverev. Andrey Rublev and Diego Schwartzman are currently in position to grab the final two spots.
which will Nadal win?
I hope both!
I think Rafa decides to play because he needs the match play; also, he wishes to keep his no.2 ranking so that come AO, he will be in the other half of the draw away from Djoko. Thiem is no.3 now and he may gain points at Paris Masters and should he win the WTF, he’ll gain points too, so no.2 ranking may be within his reach.
I guess London is more important.
It’s not gonna be easy with Thiem, Tsitsi and Zverev.
Watching Nadal at RG I had the feeling that something is a bit different about him. Can’t really explain it, he felt more confident in himself and relaxed in a good way. His biggest issue ever was playing Djokovic. I think he got over that (it doesn’t mean that he won’t lose to the Serbian anymore, but I doubt he’ll lose the match before it starts anymore). Nadal not playing well indoor is just a myth, this was mostly due to the scheduling. This year he’s by no means tired or injured so the story could be different. Just remember that last year he beat the eventual ATP finals winner.
So I don’t see why Rafa couldn’t win both Paris and London IF he stays injury free. I expect him not to hit top form in Paris though, so winning there much depends on the quality of the opposition. Thiem, Tsitsipas, Medvedev play Vienna, they may be tired In Paris. Djokovic does not play, that’s even better.
Nadal deserves to win the ATP finals at least once and especially in London, where he was so unfortunate in the last 12 years.
Why should they have a year end no 1 this year anyway when half season got cancelled n the tourneys that took place ,many chose not to participate
Has ATP officially declared they will give the award this year ?