ATP Paris: Rafael Nadal chases 1000th ATP victory against Feliciano Lopez

World no. 2 Rafael Nadal claimed his 999th ATP victory in that glorious triumph over Novak Djokovic in the Roland Garros final. The Spaniard claimed the 20th Major crown in Paris, earning numerous records and achievements and missing another massive one by a single win! Namely, Nadal stands on 999 ATP victories, hoping to clinch the milestone one in his second trip to Paris, entering the Rolex Paris Masters as the top seed in the absence of Novak Djokovic and facing the fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in the second round. If he beats the Madrid Open tournament director, Nadal will become the fourth player in the Open era with 1000 ATP wins on his tally, following Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl and Roger Federer. The 34-year-old claimed his first ATP triumph at home in Mallorca on clay in 2002, still at 15, becoming one of the world's best players a couple of years later and never leaving the top-10 since April 2005!

Despite many injuries and setbacks, Rafa has been the player to beat for the past 15 years, earning 20 Majors and 35 Masters 1000 crowns alongside many other notable titles and achievements. Nadal would have achieved the record much earlier had the coronavirus not struck the world of tennis in March, canceling all the action between March and August and keeping Nadal off the court for almost seven months. The Spaniard reached the final at the ATP Cup in January and played in the Australian Open quarter-final, suffering losses to Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem.

Rafael Nadal will try to earn the 1000th ATP win against Feliciano Lopez.

Rafa bounced back in Acapulco, winning the 85th ATP title at the end of February, in his last event before September! Skipping Cincinnati and the US Open, Nadal restarted the season in Rome and lost in the quarters to Diego Schwartzman, spoiling a chance of reaching the 1000th victory at his beloved Roland Garros.

In Paris, Nadal stormed over all seven opponents to lift the 13th trophy in the French capital, dominating on both serve and return in challenging conditions to lift the trophy and improve his tally to 999 ATP triumphs. Returning to Paris, Nadal is seeking the indoor crown, the one he is missing in his collection after losing the final to David Nalbandian 13 years ago. A year ago, Rafa had to withdraw before the semi-final clash with Denis Shapovalov, seeking a strong run this week and the 36th Masters 1000 title. Feliciano Lopez stands between Nadal and that ultimate milestone, beating a former Paris finalist Filip Krajinovic 7-6, 6-1 in an hour and 24 minutes. Lopez became the fourth 39-year-old player with the Masters 1000 victory after Jimmy Connors, Tommy Haas and Ivo Karlovic, never losing a point behind the first serve and overcoming a 3-0 deficit in the opener. Lopez saved a set point in game ten and an additional six in the tie break, prevailing 13-11 and dominating set number two to set Rafael Nadal clash.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2I0BqP5