Last minute of Rafa Nadal’s match, live
GOOD AFTERNOON AND WELCOME TO THE RETURN OF RAFA NADAL TO THE SLOPES! Since his elimination in the round of 16 of the US OPEN against Frances Tiafoe and the tribute to Federer in the Laver Cup, the Spaniard has been absent from the circuit. The Paris Bercy Masters 1000 will witness this comebackbut it will not be an easy mission. The American Tommy Paul, No. 31 in the ATP ranking, is a ‘bone’ on the fast track who comes from beating the Spanish Roberto Bautista (No. 20) in the first round with a double 4-6.
Looking for a tournament he hasn’t won yet
Despite the fact that he has recognized that a good final stretch of the season in Paris and in the ATP Finals is not among his objectives They could be worth Nadal to overcome his compatriot Alcaraz and finish the year as number 1 in the world. At this time less than 1,000 points separate the two, but it will depend on whether the Murcian does not go far in both tournaments. Another of the motivations that Rafa can find in Paris is winning one of the three Master 1,000s he has never lifted in his successful career, along with Miami and Shanghai.
His path to achieve one of the few prizes that he lacks is anything but easy. In case of surpassing Tommy Paul, the Spanish the faces would be seen with Carreño or Shapovalov, one of the best in this season finale, in the round of 16. His most logical rival in the quarterfinals would be Greek Stefanos Tsitsipaswhile Novak Djokovic would wait for him in the semifinals.
To start thinking about the rest of the draw, the first step for Rafa Nadal is to win the duel against Paul today. It will be the second confrontation between the two. In the first and only one so far, the one from Manacor won 2-0 in the quarterfinals of Acapulco 2022. You can follow your second appointment live with the comments of MARCA.com, as well as all the tournament content such as chronicles, videos or news. WE BEGIN!
