Nadal solves a difficult math problem before Auger-Aliassime
Four months ago Rafael Nadal was in high form but was also nearly knocked out by Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round of Roland Garros. It was a good match when the Canadian player pulled the senior into the fifth set, and then lost because of a single break-point in this set. A few weeks after that defeat, Auger-Aliassime beat Nadal in a showdown at Hurlingham, the warm-up event for Wimbledon.
The situation is very different now, when Nadal fell in the second half of the season because of injury, his fitness was not guaranteed. The Spaniard was eliminated in the fourth round of the US Open and has not won since. He lost two matches in a row, to Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz. Another defeat to Auger-Aliassime today will make Nadal leave the ATP Finals and miss another chance to win the first ATP Finals of his career.
Like Paul and Fritz, Auger-Aliassime serves well, hitting heavy and deep from behind the baseline. Despite having lost the last two matches, Auger-Aliassime is not too bad compared to when creating a circuit of 16 wins in the past two months. This is the best winning streak in the career of coach Toni Nadal's student. Auger-Aliassime's progress this season has been evident as he has won four of his five finals, all on hard courts.
Nadal's defensive ability on indoor hard courts was not shown much on the opening day. He always had to stay deep to fend off Fritz's heavy shots. In the opposite direction, the player Mallorca did not serve well, so he always struggled to keep the game.
"Serving like Fritz, you feel pressure all the time," Nadal admitted after the opening match. "I didn't have much time to react on this pitch. Obviously I didn't play well enough."
Nadal beat Auger-Aliassime both times, both on clay. The first of which took place since 2019, when Auger-Aliassime was just a toddler on the ATP Tour. The situation is much different now for the Canadian tennis player. He is ranked number six in the world, is one of the most champions and has the best winning streak this year.
"I've got my back against the wall so I have to play at my best to keep my hopes up," Auger-Aliassime said before meeting Nadal. "There are things I can improve, like being on the net. If I can do that, I have a chance to win."
The match Nadal and Auger-Aliassime takes place at 8pm today, Hanoi time. Seven hours later, Casper Ruud will play Taylor Fritz and the winner of this pair is almost certain to advance to the semi-finals.
