Nadal withdraws from Qatar Open, says ‘not ready to compete’
Former world no. 1 tennis star Rafael Nadal has further delayed his comeback after pulling out of the upcoming Qatar Open.
World number four men’s singles player Daniil Medvedev defeated Diego Schwartzman in straight sets to book a semi-final contest with Rafael Nadal at the ongoing ATP Finals at O2 Arena in London.
Medvedev beat the world number nine 6-3, 6-3 to remain unbeaten in this year’s season ending tournament. It has been a massive turnaround for him after losing all the matches at ATP Finals last year. His match against Nadal will be played in early hours on Sunday (India time).
“I was playing great in the two previous matches. I think it is always good to stay undefeated for the confidence. I wanted to win the match, so I am really happy that I have done it,” said Medvedev after the match. “I was serving really well today, so that helped me a lot throughout all the match.”
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Nadal, 35, leads the career head-to-head between him and Medvedev, including a brilliant comeback frok 5-1 down in the last set at last year’s ATP Finals.
“I like playing all of the (Big) Three. When I was so young, starting to hold the racquet and just started to be interested in tennis… I started to see Grand Slams,” Medvedev said. “First it was Roger winning everything, then Rafa came and started to make his mark and then it was Novak. It is a great pleasure to play against all of them and I am really looking forward to tomorrow.”
Medvedev became the first Russian to compete in the ATP Finals in consecutive years since 2009 title-winner Nikolay Davydenko (2005-09). He has not yet lost a set. He is the only player to go undefeated in group play.
Schwartzman, on the other hand, finished the best season of his career with a 25-15 record. The Argentine cracked the top 10 of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career and reached his first Masters 1000 final.
“I’m really proud because I did many great things in many different weeks this year. But also, I have the feeling in my body that I have to improve, because I want to be here again. But to be here again, I have to do better,” Schwartzman said.
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