Sunday, Nov 15, 2020. 12:01 PM
(Update : Sunday, Nov 15, 2020. 6:13 PM)
Dominic Thiem made sure the ATP Finals didn’t start like they ended for him last year.
Thiem defeated defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in a resumption of the 2019 Championship game in three sets of 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3 on Sunday, raising the curtain of the singles tournament that will be presented virtually behind closed doors in the O2 Arena in London.
At the end of the day, Spain’s Rafael Nadal defeated Russian Andrey Rublev 6-3 and 6-4, in 77 minutes.
Nadal would love to win the finals for the first time in his career. His season already includes a 20th Grand Slam title, which equals a record, as well as a 1,000th ATP victory.
Nadal made it to the finals for a 16th consecutive year, a record. He lost twice in the final and missed six editions with injuries.
US Open champion Thiem smashed Tsitsipas to take the lead 2-0 in the third set by depositing a bunt to the net. He then converted his second match point, when Tsitsipas sent a forehand out of bounds.
Tsitsipas defeated Thiem in the tiebreaker in the third set of last year’s final to claim the most important title of his career, at the end of this exclusive tournament which brings together the eight best tennis players in the world.
“It was crazy, I was pretty efficient in that game,” Thiem said of when he was leading 4-1. I think this is the turning point of the match, the one where I was finally able to take control. “
The ATP Finals will be presented for the 12th and final year at the O2 Arena in London, before moving to Turin, Italy next year.
In addition to taking place without spectators, the organizers have withdrawn the linesmen – they have instead opted for an electronic system, a first. This system means that players can no longer challenge decisions about whether the ball is in play or not.
“I love this electronic system,” said the Austrian. There are no more bad decisions. What I mean is if the system says the ball is out of bounds then it’s out of bounds. “
However, tennis players can request a video replay for other issues, such as the double jump.
Against Rublev, who has won five tournaments this season, Nadal lost just five points on serve in the first set.
Nadal has had two breakages on five occasions and has never faced a break point.
Nadal wins against Rublev
Ahead of the opener, Novak Djokovic received a field trophy for finishing the season ranked number one for the sixth time.
On Monday, Djokovic will face rookie Diego Schwartzman, before Daniil Medvedev meets 2018 champion Alexander Zverev.
