Carlos Alcaraz will end the year as the men’s world No 1 after Rafael Nadal was eliminated from the ATP Finals following Casper Ruud’s win over Taylor Fritz in their round-robin match on Tuesday.
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Nadal needed to win the tournament to take the rankings top spot from compatriot Alcaraz, but straight-set losses to Fritz on Sunday and Felix Auger-Aliassime earlier on Tuesday left him needing Ruud to lose in straight sets to keep his hopes alive.
Rafael Nadal reacts during his singles tennis match with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the ATP World Tour Finals, at the Pala Alpitour in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022. (Nicolo’ Campo/LaPresse via AP)
The Norwegian, however, won his see-saw match 6-3 4-6 7-6(6) against Fritz, capitalising on his much improved serve.
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The 19-year-old Alcaraz, who is not competing at the tournament due to an abdominal injury and will also be in Abu Dhabi for MWTC, will be confirmed as the youngest year-end No 1 since the ATP rankings began in 1973.
Auger-Aliassime, now coached by Nadal’s uncle and long-time mentor Toni who sat in his box, will face Fritz in his final group match with a chance of making the last four.
“I had one match to get used to the conditions and I felt my game was better today, I was hitting it with precision and consistency,” Auger-Aliassime said.
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Although eliminated, Nadal will still play Ruud in the night match on Thursday.
