Rafael Nadal isn’t confident about World Tour Finals after suffering Paris Masters defeat to Kei Nishikori in Saturday’s second-round match. (1:12)
Rafael Nadal lost to World No.5 Kei Nishikori on Saturday night, ending his season at the Paris Masters. (1:12)
The final is here. And, now, it’s here. For Rafael Nadal, it’s time to go out on top.
Nadal had just one match left in his career at the Paris Masters. He had to beat Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori in straight sets (13-6, 6-2, 6-2) to win a third Masters title and become only the 15th man to win three consecutive titles. After falling to his familiar nemesis, it was over.
After three straight victories, Nadal had his mind set on what was about to happen: He felt the pressure as he watched the clock tick down, he knew it was over, but he was confident his body could take it.
“I knew it would be a big fight,” he told ESPN SportsCenter. “I wanted to win the last match. I wanted to give everything. But it’s been a long week and it was so hard for the body.”
He admitted that he was tired. And he certainly had a lot of things to worry about.
The 2017 season had been a roller coaster. Nadal had just won the season-ending Australian Open but then he got injured in late February. He didn’t play a match before Wimbledon, and he had just been eliminated from the French Open when he suffered a hip injury in April. He had just missed his first Australian Open since 2010 and was forced to undergo microfractures surgery.
The list goes on.
“I was very, very tired. I didn’t have the energy to think about my career. I’m very, very, very sad that I couldn’t finish the season. I couldn’t give everything. It’s been a rollercoaster. I
