Road to Nitto ATP Finals: Overview of Rafael Nadal’s 2020 season, Past Performance and Prediction for ATP Finals 2020
Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal will enter the Nitto ATP Finals 2020 as the second seed after a year that saw him lift his 13th French Open title and a record equaling 20th Grandslam title. He also secured his 1000th ATP win on tour. The Spaniard started the year as World number one but lost this place to Novak Djokovic after he decided against playing in American hard court season post the lockdown.
This year will be Nadal’s 11th appearance at the ATP Finals. The Spaniard has never won a ATP Finals title and would be hoping to turn things around this time. In this article, we will have a look at Rafael Nadal’s performance in 2020 in lead up to the Nitto ATP Finals and look at his previous performances at the ATP Finals.
The wait for a second Australian Open title continues and the Mexico Open title
Rafael Nadal started his 2020 season at the ATP Cup, an inaugural edition of a team event in Australia. Rafael Nadal won 4 of his 6 matches to propel Spain into the finals where they were defeated by Serbia. Nadal lost to Novak Djokovic in the final and his tie against David Goffin in the quarterfinals.
Rafael Nadal once again ran out of steam towards the back end of the Australian Open as he was defeated in the quarterfinals by the eventual runner-up, Dominic Thiem in 4 sets. The Spaniard was looking on course to claim his 2nd Australian title and end his 11 year wait. However, Dominic Thiem proved too good on that particular wait, winning 3 crucial tiebreaks.
Rafael Nadal returned to play at the Mexico Open which he won for the 3rd time, defeating Taylor Fritz in the final. It was an impressive showing by the Spaniard as his wins in the tournament came against the likes of Grigor Dimitrov, Miomir Kecmanovic. He did not drop a single set at the Mexico Open. This would be the Spaniard’s last tournament for the next 7 months because of the coronavirus induced lockdown.
The King of Clay reigns again in the red clay of Paris
Rafael Nadal returned to action once again for the clay court season after he decided to not play in American hard court season because of safety precautions. The Spaniard took the court at the Italian Open to claim his 10th title in Rome, but was shocked by the Argentinian, Diego Schwartzman in the quarterfinals who handed him a straight sets defeat. Nadal had 2 weels to regroup and come back stronger for the French Open, and there were several doubts if he could win his 13th French Open title.
Not even the year 2020, full of surprises, could stop Rafael Nadal, the King of Clay, to once again lift the French Open trophy. The conditions were tougher, the balls were different but Rafael Nadal was the same. Nadal lifted his 13th French Open title, without dropping a single set. He defeated Diego Schwartzman in the semifinals, an opponent he lost to in Rome. He played one of the best finals of his career, defeating Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the final, including a bagel (6-0) in the 1st set.
With his 13th French Open title, Rafael Nadal equaled Roger Federer’s record of 20 Grandslam titles.
1000th ATP win and semifinal exit at Paris Masters
Rafael Nadal decided to return to Paris just 3 weeks after his historic French Open triumph. Paris Masters was one of the only 3 Masters 1000 events, missing from his tally. However, Rafael Nadal could not progress beyond the semifinals at the Rolex Paris Masters, losing in straight sets to Alexander Zverev. However, the Spaniard did manage to make another record in Paris as he became only the 4th person to register 1000 ATP wins on tour after he defeated Feliciano Lopez in Round 2.
Rafael Nadal’s run at the Paris Masters 2020 was not the way he would have wished for it to end. But it is surely something he can build on while preparing for the Nitto ATP Finals 2020. One cannot criticize the Spaniard for his semifinal exit from the Paris Masters given the fact that he played his first hard court tournament in over 9 months.
| Tournament | Result |
| Australian Open 2020 | Quarterfinals |
| Mexico Open 2020 | Winner |
| Italian Open 2020 | Quarterfinals |
| French Open 2020 | Winner |
| Paris Masters 2020 | Semifinals |
Nitto ATP Finals: Past Performance
Rafael Nadal has always struggled to deliver at the ATP Finals. Out of his 10 previous appearances, he has not managed to lift the title even once, losing in the final on two occasions. Injuries have also troubled him, as he had to withdraw twice from the ATP Finals in the past. Last year, he was knocked out in the round robin stage based on the set win-loss record, as Nadal and Tsitsipas were tied on the same number of points.
| Year | Result |
| 2005 | Withdrew |
| 2006 | Semifinals |
| 2007 | Semifinals |
| 2009 | Round-Robin |
| 2010 | Finals |
| 2011 | Round-Robin |
| 2013 | Finals |
| 2015 | Semifinals |
| 2017 | Withdrew |
| 2019 | Round-Robin |
Nitto ATP Finals: Prediction for Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal is expected to bounce back from his defeat at the Paris Masters and do well at the Nitto ATP Finals. Seeded 2nd, he will not be in the same group as Novak Djokovic but he can face him in the semifinals or the finals. Rafael Nadal would be hoping to add the ATP Finals trophy to his cabinet this year. However the Spaniard will have his task cut out as he will have to get through players like Alexander Zverev, who has beaten him in their past 2 indoor hard court meetings, Dominic Thiem, US Open 2020 champion, Stefanos Tsitsipas, reigning champion in London and Novak Djokovic, 5 time ATP Finals winner.
Expected Finish: Runner-up/ Champion
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