Inspired Thiem outshines Nadal at ATP Finals

 Dominic Thiem held his nerve to claim an impressive 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/4) win against Rafael Nadal at the ATP Finals as the Austrian moved to the brink of a place in the semi-finals yesterday.

Thiem over-powered Nadal behind closed doors at London’s O2 Arena to put a dent in the Spanish star’s bid to win the ATP Finals for the first time.

The world number three, who defeated reigning champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in his opening game, has won his first two matches in this year’s tournament as he looks to go one better than last year’s runner-up finish.
The 27-year-old has already enjoyed a year to remember, reaching two Grand Slam finals and winning one of the four majors for the first time when he defeated Alexander Zverev in the US Open final in September.
While Thiem eyes a last four berth, Nadal will have to beat Tsitsipas in his last group match to keep alive his hopes of reaching the semi-finals.

Nadal saw off Andrey Rublev in straight sets in his first match on Sunday but the 34-year-old was unable to cope with Thiem’s power and poise.

Now Nadal has to do it the hard way if he is to land the biggest prize missing from his trophy cabinet after losing the 2010 and 2013 finals at the prestigious season-ending event.

Nadal, who last month equalled Roger Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slams by winning the French Open, has won 86 titles but just one of those has come on an indoor hard court. The world number two has qualified for the ATP Finals for 16 years in a row but his record at the eight-man elite event pales in comparison with Federer and Novak Djokovic after six injury withdrawals.

- AFP