Davis Cup quarterfinals: Spain suffers 1-2 loss against Netherlands as Nadal retires
Although Nadal fought hard against the Dutch in the opening set, the 22-time Grand Slam champion was unable to stop the 29-year-old from winning the first set
World number four men’s singles player Daniil Medvedev defeated Diego Schwartzman in straight sets to book a semi-final contest with Rafael Nadal at the ongoing ATP Finals at O2 Arena in London.
Medvedev beat the world number nine 6-3, 6-3 to remain unbeaten in this year’s season ending tournament. It has been a massive turnaround for him after losing all the matches at ATP Finals last year. His match against Nadal will be played in early hours on Sunday (India time).
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“I was playing great in the two previous matches. I think it is always good to stay undefeated for the confidence. I wanted to win the match, so I am really happy that I have done it,” said Medvedev after the match. “I was serving really well today, so that helped me a lot throughout all the match.”
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Nadal, 35, leads the career head-to-head between him and Medvedev, including a brilliant comeback frok 5-1 down in the last set at last year’s ATP Finals.
“I like playing all of the (Big) Three. When I was so young, starting to hold the racquet and just started to be interested in tennis… I started to see Grand Slams,” Medvedev said. “First it was Roger winning everything, then Rafa came and started to make his mark and then it was Novak. It is a great pleasure to play against all of them and I am really looking forward to tomorrow.”
Medvedev became the first Russian to compete in the ATP Finals in consecutive years since 2009 title-winner Nikolay Davydenko (2005-09). He has not yet lost a set. He is the only player to go undefeated in group play.
Schwartzman, on the other hand, finished the best season of his career with a 25-15 record. The Argentine cracked the top 10 of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career and reached his first Masters 1000 final.
“I’m really proud because I did many great things in many different weeks this year. But also, I have the feeling in my body that I have to improve, because I want to be here again. But to be here again, I have to do better,” Schwartzman said.
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