Rafael Nadal: 'I really wanted this one, no?'

Rafael Nadal has climbed to sixth place in the FedEx Race A Turin after beating Novak Djokovic in the final of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia and equaling the Serbian's record with 36 ATP Masters 1000 titles. Just 30 points now separate the Spanish legend (2,220) from fourth-placed Alexander Zverev (2,250), 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion and winner of the Mutua Madrid Open last week. Daniil Medvedev is currently in fifth place with 2,230 units. Stefanos Tsitsipas continues to lead the Race with 3,110 points but Djokovic, a five-time Nitto ATP Finals champion, is now only 190 points behind the Greek in second place. Tsitsipas won his first ATP Masters 1000 crown last month at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Djokovic, champion of his 18th Grand Slam at the Australian Open (d. A Medvedev) in February, continues to ignite the pulse with Helleno for first place. The Serbian legend is aiming to break another record by closing the season as No. 1 for the seventh time (2011-12, '14 -15, '18, '20). Djokovic currently shares the year-end record as No. 1 with his childhood idol Pete Sampras (1993-1998). After the fourth Masters 1000 of the season, Matteo Berrettini and #NextGenATP Jannik Sinner remain just a short distance from the top eight, with the Nitto ATP Finals to be held in Turin from 14 to 21 November. Berrettini, who lost to Zverev in the Madrid final, occupies ninth place with 1,445 points, just 15 points behind eighth-placed Hubert Hurkacz (1,460), who defeated Sinner in the final of the Miami Open presented by Itau. Sinner, the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals champion, ranks 10th after the Rome tournament. One of the week's big winners, Italian Lorenzo Sonego, climbs 16 places to 13th in the FedEx ATP Race A Turin after reaching the semi-finals in Rome (l. Ante Djokovic), while 2019 and 2020 Nitto ATP Finals runner-up Dominic Thiem climbs to 16th position after climbing six rungs.

Nadal recalls his first title at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia 

Rafael Nadal won his 10th Italian Open title on Sunday, beating Novak Djokovic in a hard-fought final. But Nadal's journey during the week was far from straightforward, and after the final he admitted there was a bit of "luck" involved in his victory. "I was lucky at some moments, especially against Shapo," Nadal said. "And then I think I played a good tournament..playing better and better, finding my rhythm on clay..having this trophy, it happened again...amazing. I won Rome for the first time in 2005," Nadal said. "16 years later I am still here. At almost 35 years old, to win this title is just unbelievable. Amazing feeling." Rafael Nadal also compared his incredible feat of 10 titles in Rome with his haul of titles at Roland Garros, Monte Carlo and Barcelona. "After winning 10 titles in Roland Garros, 10 in Monte Carlo, 10 in Barcelona, I really wanted this one, no?" Nadal said. "I went through a lot of things this week. Some great moments, some lucky moments, some tough moments."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2QtJrAX