The 2022 ATP Finals have begun, and they have already produced the first big upset. Top seed Rafael Nadal, who has only just returned to action after an injury layoff, went down in straight sets to American Taylor Fritz in his first group game.
No 3 Casper Ruud rolled to a straight-sets victory of his own against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the first match of the tournament. Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev will begin his mission to reach his third-straight final.
Read on below as SBOTOP delivers the latest news and updates from the ongoing 2022 ATP Finals.
Rafa Nadal drops opener to ATP Finals debutant
Rafael Nadal is still rusty. Just a couple of weeks since returning from a months-long layoff due to an abdominal injury, Nadal lost his opening match in the ATP Finals, falling to debutant Taylor Fritz, 7-6(3) 6-1.
Nadal did not think he had the time he was accustomed to while playing, which was a big part of his struggles during the match.
“It’s about time,” said Nadal during his post-match press conference. “Tennis and the sport in general, it’s about time. I have less time than him to do what I want to do on the ball. I felt that everything was going so fast. When that happens, normally you are under stress, and you don’t have the time to play the kind of shot that you want.”
Nadal just returned 11 days ago from a long absence after his early US Open exit, and he admitted that it was quite a challenge to come back and face a top-quality opponent after a lengthy injury lay-off.
“In most of the points of the match, I was in a defensive position, and he was in an offensive position,” said Nadal. “That’s what happened… But every single time I came back from injury, [it’s not normal] playing against top players [from] the first day. That’s what happens when you are coming back playing Masters 1000s and [the Nitto ATP Finals].”
Nadal, who is still searching for his first-ever ATP Finals title, will have to bounce back in his next group game against Felix Auger-Aliassime to keep his hopes of claiming the crown alive.
Casper Ruud tops talented young Canadian
Casper Ruud made a strong start to his 2022 ATP Finals campaign as he defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6(4) 6-4.
The 23-year-old came to Turin in poor form, winning just two matches in his previous four tournaments. But he looked back to his best as he needed just under two hours to dispatch the young Canadian.
“I think this is some of the best level that I have played since the US Open,” said Ruud after the match. “The last couple of months have been a little bit of a struggle, I have to honestly say that, but you have to accept it as well. You will face difficult moments in your career, and maybe these last couple of months was one of those… It doesn’t matter how hard you practise if you don’t win matches, so today was a great win for me.”
Both players had their service game going well and created their share of ATP Finals 2022 highlights, but Ruud won the crucial break point in the second set as he improved to 3-1 against Auger-Aliassime.
Ruud will next face Taylor Fritz in his second group game, which will be the first-ever meeting between the two.
Daniil Medvedev ready for another deep ATP Finals run
Daniil Medvedev is back in the ATP Finals for the fourth year in a row. The Russian has made it all the way to the final in each of the last two years, winning in 2020 and losing to Alexander Zverev last year.
This year, the former world No 1 has been drawn into a tough group that includes past champions Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas, as well as compatriot Andrey Rublev.
“I felt it’s a pretty tough draw,” Medvedev assessed. “At the same time, in the other group we also have great players… It’s not easy in any group.
“But as I said, there are top players and if you want to win this tournament, you have to beat the best. Our group, I feel like, is pretty even and everybody can go through. Everybody [in the group] has beaten everybody at least once, so that’s great. We’re going to have some great tennis.”
The ATP Finals 2022 odds have Medvedev favoured to beat Rublev in his first group match, but he will have his work cut out for him to make the finals for a third straight year with the likes of Djokovic and Tsitsipas to get past.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE TENNIS STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
