Rafael Nadal defeats Stefanos Tsitsipas to keep ATP Finals hopes alive

Rafael Nadal defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas  6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5 in yet another comeback in the ATP Finals on Friday evening. He, however, is not guaranteed a semi-final spot in the ATP Finals and his progression will depend on the result of the match between Sascha Zverev and Daniil Medvedev on Friday evening. For Nadal to qualify, Medvedev should win against Zverev.

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However, the win gave a massive boost to the Spaniard for the second consecutive match as he managed to overcome from a set down to win the match. Nadal and Tsitsipas went all the way into a tiebreak but was not able to close the set. Tsitsipas, on the other hand, was able to capitalize on the lead that he had and fell early in the second set. 

After the match, Nadal received the trophy for finishing the year as the world number one, which was confirmed after Djokovic's defeat to Federer on Thursday evening. During the ceremony, he said, "Honestly, what can I say? I am super happy. Honestly, after all the things that I went through in my career in terms of injuries, I never thought at the age of 33 and a half that I will have this trophy in my hands again. So, it’s something really, really emotional for me. A lot of work on the shadows to be where we are today and without all my team and family that is here with me, this thing would be impossible. So I can just say thank you very much, everybody, for the support. Have been some bad moments and you have been always there, so… Honestly, like this year for example, after Monte Carlo. After the support of all these people who are here to my left, things will be much different for me this year. They encouraged me to keep going and I can’t thank them enough. Thank you very much."

READ: ATP Finals: Roger Federer Dismisses 'ghosts From Past' Claim After Beating Djokovic

Tsitsipas, on the other hand, has already qualified for the semifinals after defeating Medveded and Zverev in his first two matches of the Andre Agassi group. After the match, he said, "My body feels well currently. I don't feel pain anywhere. I feel fresh, honestly. After having a long, difficult match like this, I feel like I can go out and play tomorrow the same way. So I don't have any problem with that." In the Bjorn Borg group, Dominic Thiem and Roger Federer have qualified for the semifinals of the high-profile year-ending tournament. 

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