Rafael Nadal remains Mubadala World Tennis Championship winner as the event gets..

The 13th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi will not happen due to the coronavirus pandemic. The organizers have decided to skip this year's edition with the challenging tennis schedule and many issues with the calendar ahead of the new season, hoping to return in 2021. The first Mubadala WTC tournament took place in January 2009 and has always gathered the most prominent tennis stars. The crowd at Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex witnessed both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal winning nine titles combined at this event, with Andy Murray lifting two titles in 2009 and 2015. The world's leading players Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic led the field in 2019, both seeking the fifth crown at the prestigious event. Djokovic lost the semi-final battle against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who pushed world no. 1 Rafael Nadal to the limits in the title match. In the end, the Spaniard became the first player with five Mubadala WTC crowns, prevailing over the Greek 6-7, 7-5, 7-6 in three hours and 12 minutes!

It was one of the best encounters in the tournament's history, with Nadal giving his best to emerge at the top and lift the trophy. Almost nothing could separate them on the court, and it was the more experienced competitor who saved his best tennis for the closing moments to finish the year with another trophy on his tally. Nadal had to give his best in almost every service game in the opening set, fending off one break chance after another to stay in touch and wasting an excellent opportunity to steal the set and grab the momentum. Stefanos continued where he left against Novak Djokovic, delivering one good hold after another to mount the pressure on the other side of the net. The Spaniard repelled two break chances in the second game with service winners, erasing two more at 1-2 thanks to another good serve and a loose forehand from Stefanos. The Greek was on the verge of a break at 3-2, creating three break opportunities but wasting them all after Nadal's fine shotmaking and two winners.

The Mubadala World Tennis Championship will not take place in 2020.

As usual in tennis, a player who squanders his chances usually gets punished, with Nadal hitting a forehand winner to score a break in the ninth game and serve for the set despite all the challenges. Rafa squandered two set points in that tenth game and got broken after a backhand error to keep Stefanos alive and prolong the action. With the momentum on his side, the youngster scored three mini-breaks and closed it after 65 minutes when Nadal netted a forehand in the tie break's tenth point. Set number two offered eight commanding holds and a massive chance for Tsitsipas to make the pivotal move at 4-4 after creating two break points. With no room for errors, Rafa erased them to stay alive, overcoming another problematic game at 5-5 and stealing Tsitsipas' serve a few minutes later with a volley winner to take the set 7-5 and force a decider. They stayed neck and neck until the third set's sixth game when Nadal broke at 15 after a forehand error from the youngster to open a 4-2 gap.

The Spaniard stayed ahead only for a couple of minutes, though, as the Greek broke back after forcing a mistake from the world's leading player. Two service winners at 30-30 pushed Rafa 5-4 in front before Tsitsipas held at love while serving to stay in the match, showing no signs of nerves and bringing the pressure back to the other side of the net. Players went into a deciding tie break following two comfortable holds on both sides, the best way to pick the champion after a titanic battle. Nadal made the first move, clinching an early mini-break and serving well to take the breaker 7-3 and celebrate the title after one of the best matches of 2019.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/37mGGHg