Rafael Nadal endured Alex de Minaur’s very best tennis and clinched Spain an ATP Cup final berth on Saturday night in Sydney.

The World No. 1 was down a set and hadn’t seen a break point all night until De Minaur served to stay in the second set, at 6-4, 5-6. But the Spaniard converted his first break point that game and stepped up from there, breaking three more times in the third to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.

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Spain will now face Novak Djokovic and Serbia for the inaugural ATP Cup title. Serbia reached the final earlier Saturday behind wins from Dusan Lajovic (d. Khachanov) and Djokovic (d. Medvedev) against Russia.

“It was tough at the beginning of the match as Alex was playing at a very high level and my energy was a little lower than usual. Yesterday was a very long day in heavy conditions,” Nadal said.

“It’s going to be a super tough final against Serbia. Novak likes to play here and Serbia has a great team and is playing very well. But Roberto played an amazing match this afternoon and we have a good team, so we are ready for it.”

Nadal lost to Belgian David Goffin on Friday night, and the Spaniard hadn’t dropped consecutive matches since October 2016, when he fell to Grigor Dimitrov in the China Open quarter-finals and Viktor Troicki at the Rolex Shanghai Masters five days later. Nadal also had never endured back-to-back losses in his 206 weeks as the World No. 1.

But De Minaur was playing the tennis of his life in front of a raucous Aussie crowd. De Minaur broke Nadal to start the match and held to love as he served for the set, taking the opener behind back-to-back forehand winners.

For the first two sets, De Minaur had Nadal on defence, taking the ball early and cutting off the angles to nudge the Spaniard behind the baseline. Nadal controlled his service games but rarely made in-roads on De Minaur’s serve.

Before the 12^th game of the second set, the Aussie had dropped only two service points all set. But at 5-6, De Minaur sliced a backhand into the net to give Nadal set point, which the Spaniard converted and just like that, despite De Minaur’s 17 winners that set, they were even.

“You need to have the mind open and clear to find solutions, and I was not able to win many points on the return during all the second set. I needed to change something, and that’s what I did,” Nadal said.

“I think I advanced my position around one metre, one metre and a half on the return, on the Deuce [side] especially, and I take the first point. And then the game change, because then the pressure is on the other side of the court.

“I just tried to change a little bit the dynamic, tried to change a little bit the energy of the match in that moment and tried to make the opponent feel something different that it’s not going the same way that it had been going for the last 30 minutes.”

In the third, Nadal accelerated and De Minaur cooled off as the Spaniard jumped out to a 4-0 lead and quieted the crowd inside Ken Rosewall Arena.

“He changed his game plan a bit more. He started to step up in the court a bit more and not let me dictate as much. Therefore, I felt like I had to push a bit more, and that’s when the mistakes came,” De Minaur said.

“For me to play the match, I’ve got to play a very aggressive game. I’m red-lining for a lot of that match, so a couple missed balls here and there, and he ended up just being too good.”

Earlier, Roberto Bautista Agut dismissed Nick Kyrgios 6-1, 6-4 to give Spain a 1-0 lead.

“Nick is a great talent so to beat him in two sets means I did a great job. My game plan was trying to make him under pressure to play every point and to make him work the whole match,” Bautista Agut said. “Tennis is a tough job. We are used to coming to the court very tired and having to still play and give our best on the court and that’s what Spain does every time.”

Highlights: Bautista Agut Claims Kyrgios Win

Bautista Agut, who improved to 5-0 at the ATP Cup, broke twice to start and led 5-0 after 22 minutes.

During that changeover, Kyrgios received a long talking to from captain Lleyton Hewitt in the Team Zone and seemed rejuvenated, holding three consecutive times. But at 2-2 in the second set, Bautista Agut delivered a second serve return deep to Kyrgios, who shanked a forehand long to give the World No. 10 his third break of the night. The break quieted the home faithful.

“We are used to playing these kinds of matches. It’s very nice to play with a full crowd, with a lot of spectators. It feels great to play tennis like this in a big match against Nick,” Bautista Agut said.

Kyrgios finished with 27 unforced errors to 24 winners.

In doubles, Pablo Carreno Busta and Feliciano Lopez secured a 3-0 tie victory for Spain. Carreno Busta and Lopez saved all four break points they faced to beat John Peers and Chris Guccione 6-2, 6-7(6), 10-4.

Highlights: Lopez/Carreno Busta Make It 3-0 For Spain

When Dusan Lajovic was eight years old, his aunt bought him a book titled Wimbledon, which he says was the 1991 edition. The Serbian, who originally wanted to be a soccer player, began playing tennis at seven because it was the only sport available to his age group, and he remembers reading the book to learn about the history of the sport.

“It gave me a lot of good stuff to see how the players were playing in such an important tournament,” Lajovic said. “I always wanted to do this as my job.”

Little did Lajovic know that two decades later he’d be representing his country at the highest of levels on one of tennis’ biggest stages. The 29-year-old has won four of his five matches at the inaugural ATP Cup, helping lead Serbia to Sunday’s championship match.

Throughout the tournament, Serbian fans have turned out in force, in both Brisbane and Sydney, to support their countrymen. On Saturday, Serbian flags flew throughout Ken Rosewall Arena, with some fans even holding signs that read DULE, Lajovic’s nickname.

The 2019 Umag champion has performed tremendously under that spotlight. He hasn’t shied away from the moment, instead conjuring some of his best tennis. But at heart, Lajovic claims he is an introvert, so he’s still getting used to competing in such hair-raising environments.

“[I’m] still not as comfortable as somebody else would be. But I’m working on myself and trying to be aware of what’s going on and understand the situation,” Lajovic said. “I think that this week, especially here in Sydney, I would also say that I’m a different player from Brisbane and here. I got used to it a little bit with the atmosphere and everything. And I’m enjoying the court, especially in the moments where you’re fighting for every point like today. This is what you play tennis for.”

The 6’ right-hander recently took a personality test based off the work of psychologist Carl Jung, and got interesting results.

“I’m an architect, which is like [a] 90 per cent introverted person,” Lajovic said. “All the persons with this personality are scientists or professors or stuff like that. There are not so many athletes.

“So with my personality, it’s weird being a professional athlete. But I think it came out great. I’m really grateful that I’m able to do the job that I love since I was a kid. For example, you’ve got to put things in perspective, I think. And then if you ask kids, ‘What do you want to be?’ I don’t think that many of them say accountant or whatever. So you have the privilege to do something that you wanted to do as a kid, and I think this is a big benefit for the whole life.”

Lajovic was not a top junior, reaching a career-best junior ranking of No. 132. During his late teens, he did not have much financial support, so Lajovic considered going to college instead of turning professional.

“I had a very interesting meeting and conversation with my parents and they said, ‘Look, if this is what you want to do, we’ll do whatever it takes for us to help you and support you.’ I’m always grateful for them that they were doing this for me because sometimes it’s hard when you don’t see the future and you don’t know what’s going to happen,” Lajovic said. “But I’m happy that I was able to make them proud and succeed and be in this profession where I am today.”

Not only is Lajovic a professional athlete, but he is a role model for his entire country. World No. 2 Djokovic is widely viewed as a national hero, but according to Milan Vuckovic, a Serbian tennis fan in attendance on Saturday at the ATP Cup who moved to Australia when he was four and a half, Lajovic’s efforts during this event rival those of Djokovic’s, with both earning points for their country.

“[He’s] very important. He represents the country, so [he’s] definitely important,” Vuckovic said. “He’s an opening player, so he represents from the first starting match. It means a lot to get up front straight up. He’s only sort of come about in the past five years, but everyone is really starting to recognise him, so it’s good that people outside of Serbia are also recognising him and that he’s representing the country.”

That’s something that means a lot to Lajovic. He first broke into the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings nearly six years ago, so he has been an elite player for years. But the ATP Cup is giving him a massive platform to show the world how good he is, and to do it for his country, too.

“That’s great. I’m probably not aware of that still, but if there is at least one kid that’s looking up to me, that’s great. If there are more, even better,” Lajovic said. “I’m trying to be the best person off the court as well as on the court. I hope that they can see those qualities as well, not just tennis. That’s what life is all about.”

Lajovic has helped push his country to within one tie victory of lifting the inaugural ATP Cup trophy. And while Djokovic has gotten plenty of attention for wins over the likes of Kevin Anderson, Denis Shapovalov and Daniil Medvedev, the World No. 2 praised his countryman Lajovic for his tremendous play.

“So proud, and I want to give him a huge credit for what he has done in this competition so far. He’s won all of his matches except one, and the one he lost was in tight three sets,” Djokovic said. “His level is getting higher and higher as the competition progresses, which is so good to see him [do]. I mean, as a friend and someone that has followed his development for many years and to see him playing this well is fantastic.

“I’m enjoying it, and I’m also thankful, because I have been coming into most of my matches with 1-0 rather than 0-1. So it’s a huge relief obviously. We have been clinching all of our ties except one match after singles, which is a huge advantage.”

Lajovic will walk into Ken Rosewall Arena with one more singles match to go against either Team Australia or Team Spain. Either way, it’s another opportunity for the No. 2 Serbian to perform in front of the raucous Sydney crowds, and do his part in helping secure a trophy.

“It’s a great feeling, especially in the tough moments when they give you the energy and the support,” Lajovic said. “It makes you more pumped and, I would say, ready for the moment, like you are feeling the pressure, but somehow they are giving you the strength.”

Jannik Sinner spent part of his off-season getting his driver’s license, but the reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion handled a different type of vehicle on Saturday when he sailed the Auckland Harbour ahead of the ASB Classic.

”I think it’s beautiful in Auckland. It’s the first time for me here and the sea and the views are wonderful. Hopefully I can go far in the tournament,” Sinner said. “The opportunity to get out on the harbour and sail a bit is really cool. The boat is very big and it’s a special feeling to be out here.

”I just got my driving license a month ago and this is a little bit bigger. I usually prefer swimming pools over the sea, so it’s nice to be on the boat rather than in the water!”

The 18-year-old Italian looks to build on his rapid rise last year that saw him climb more than 450 spots in the FedEx ATP Rankings to his current career-high standing of No. 78. His season highlights included prevailing in the year-end Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan (d. De Minaur), reaching his maiden tour-level semi-final in Antwerp and scoring his first ATP Masters 1000 win on home soil in Rome. Sinner also won three ATP Challenger Tour titles.

”Our first goal this year is to improve day after day. We improved a lot of things in my game, especially my serve,” Sinner said. “The best week last year was, of course, Milan. It was a special week playing in front of the home crowd. I think I handled the increased pressure very well. I also look forward to traveling to new cities this season and having chances to see a bit more off the court.”   

Sinner will begin his Auckland campaign against fifth-seeded Frenchman Benoit Paire.

Dusan Lajovic defeated Karen Khachanov 7-5, 7-6(1) on Saturday to put Team Serbia one win away from the final of the inaugural ATP Cup in Sydney.

Ken Rosewall Arena was flooded with Serbian fans, many of whom waved their country’s flag. There were even some supporters holding signs reading “DULE”, which is Lajovic’s nickname. And the 29-year-old did not let them down, hitting 26 winners to just 16 unforced errors in a one-hour, 49-minute triumph.

Novak Djokovic has gotten off to a fast start in the second singles match as well, winning the opening set against World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev 6-1 in only 31 minutes. Djokovic leads the pair’s budding rivalry 3-2, but Medvedev has won their two most recent matches, coming in Monte-Carlo and Cincinnati last year.

In theory, Khachanov’s powerful baseline game would overwhelm Lajovic, who made his first ATP Masters 1000 final at last year’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. But the Serbian has now won all three of his ATP Head2Head meetings against the 2018 Rolex Paris Masters champion. He has not dropped a set against the Russian.

On match point, Lajovic cracked a cross-court forehand that Khachanov couldn’t handle, pointing to the raucous crowd as he walked to the net as if to thank them for helping him through. The World No. 34 has now won four of his five matches at the ATP Cup, and he has not lost a set since arriving in Sydney for the Final Eight.

Khachanov fought hard to stay in contact in the second set, with Russian captain Marat Safin urging him in the late stages of the match to take deep breaths and stay calm. The World No. 17 showed plenty of intensity with two massive fist pumps after an incredible forehand passing shot while serving at 4-5.

But when the pair went to the second-set tie-break, it was all Lajovic, urged on by the Serbian fans. The 2019 Umag champion curled a tremendous forehand passing shot to take a 3/0 lead. And in the two points after that, Khachanov missed backhand returns, putting the match all but out of reach.v

Lajovic did not face a break point during his victory, winning 78 per cent of his service points.

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal will be featured on CBS’s flagship magazine television programme 60 Minutes in the United States on Sunday (7pm ET/PT).

Below is a look at what fans can expect to see following this rare extended interview with 60 Minutes reporter and leading tennis writer and commentator Jon Wertheim…

How does the world’s No. 1-ranked tennis player stay on top? He practises intensely every morning, even at home on a break from the tennis season.

Intensity is not the first word that comes to mind on the beautiful Spanish island of Mallorca, where Nadal grew up and still lives. Nonetheless, Jon Wertheim finds a focussed player who tells him that a key to his remarkable and enduring success is the doubt he has in his mind and the way it keeps him sharp. Wertheim’s story on Nadal will be broadcast on 60 Minutes Sunday, January 12, at 7pm ET/PT on CBS.

Nadal has been a Top 10 player on the ATP Tour since he was a teenager and today, at 33, he has won 19 Grand Slam tournaments, just one behind the men’s record held by his older rival, Roger Federer. He has closed out the season as the No. 1 player five times.

Most players use the five weeks of tennis’ off-season to rest up. It’s a nice break in a beautiful place, but Nadal practices each morning in Mallorca. 60 Minutes cameras were allowed in for a rare look at Nadal’s practice session. They capture him being peppered with shots by his two coaches at the same time. Nadal pounded back with the same determination and force he would use in a Wimbledon final.

“I am a very intense person with a lot of energy. I live life and sports at maximum intensity. This is how I feel it,” he tells Wertheim, who has been covering him on the Tour for 15 years.

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After a thrilling quarter-final victory against Great Britain in front of passionate fans in Sydney on Thursday, Australia will battle Spain for a place in the inaugural ATP Cup final on Saturday.

The challenge of replicating performances after a big win can often be difficult for players, but Australia boasts a secret weapon: the Ken Rosewall Arena crowd. Lleyton Hewitt is no stranger to playing with the support and expectation of the nation on his shoulders and the team captain is well aware that crowd support could play a crucial role for his team on Saturday night.

“Obviously it’s going to be a big crowd… We have to use that as much as possible to our advantage,” said Hewitt on Friday. “But we’ve got to reset and start again. The boys obviously can come out and use that energy that they got up from yesterday, but we’re going to focus on a totally different team.”

In his new role as team captain, Hewitt has managed to match his playing style with fearless decision making. In Australia’s 2-1 victory against Great Britain, the 38-year-old replaced his unbeaten doubles team, John Peers and Chris Guccione, for untested singles stars Alex de Minaur and Nick Kyrgios. The bold move paid off for Hewitt, as De Minaur and Kyrgios saved four match points to defeat Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury 18-16 in a Match Tie-break.

De Minaur (2-1) and Kyrgios (3-0) have provided Hewitt with a solid foundation throughout the ATP Cup and the former World No. 1 shared his thoughts on what makes the highest-ranked Australian stars such a powerful combination.

“I think Alex brings out the best in Nick on the practice court,” said Hewitt. “Just Alex’s intensity, the way he goes about it. Nick can’t switch off in a practice set or practice with Alex [and] that’s fantastic. Both of them push each other to get better, as well.

“It’s fantastic to see. Even though Alex has passed Nick in the Rankings, Nick couldn’t be prouder of Alex. He’s like a little brother to him out there, firing him up and wanting him to have success.”

With Team Spain in town, the atmosphere inside Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre looks set to reach new heights. Francisco Roig’s team includes World No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 10 Roberto Bautista Agut, the highest-ranked No. 2 singles player in the competition.

“It’s going to be a lot of excitement… To have Rafa in Australia and playing these events before the Australian Open is pretty special, especially here in Sydney,” said Hewitt.

Nadal enters the contest with a 5-1 record in ATP Cup matches, but Hewitt is excited to see his No. 1 player test himself against the best player in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

“[Rafa is] the No. 1 player in the world at the moment. You’re the underdog going into any match against Rafa, and we all know the intensity and quality he’s going to bring,” said Hewitt.

“He brings it day in and day out. It’s going to be a good test, though, for Alex to step up to the mark against that kind of player. Alex is playing some of the best tennis of his career right now, as well.”

Nadal leads De Minaur 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series, which includes a straight-sets victory at the Australian Open last year. But the 20-year-old has established himself on the ATP Tour since that meeting, adding two more ATP Tour titles to his collection and reaching his second straight Next Gen ATP Finals championship match.

“[De Minaur is] going to be a big challenge too,” said Nadal. “He’s a great player. Young with a lot of energy.”

Kyrgios will be keen to earn his ‘little brother’ the opportunity to focus his energy on winning the tie against Nadal. The 24-year-old faces Bautista Agut in the No. 2 singles match, a player who has dropped only 14 games across his four ATP Cup matches.

“[Bautista Agut] is very important. Obviously, Nick is going to have to go out there and focus on the job he’s got at hand,” said Hewitt.

“A lot of the time it can be on Nick’s racquet, though, as well. If he goes out there, plays well, executes and is in the right frame of mind, then I’m going to back him against a lot of No. 2’s.”

If the tie runs to a decisive doubles match, Hewitt will once again have a decision to make. Will he stick with his selected team of Peers and Guccione or bring De Minaur and Kyrgios into the fold as he did on Thursday?

Spain will once again rely on Pablo Carreno Busta and Nadal, the two men who clinched Spain’s place in the semi-finals early on Saturday morning with a Match Tie-break victory against Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen.

Bautista Agut, Nadal and Carreno Busta/Nadal. Hewitt and the crowd inside Ken Rosewall Arena know the test Team Australia is about to face. The question is, do they have the answers?

Rohan Bopanna and Wesley Koolhof lifted the first ATP Tour trophy of the decade at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Friday, beating Luke Bambridge and Santiago Gonzalez 3-6, 6-2, 10-6.

In their first event as a pairing, Bopanna and Koolhof won five straight points from 4/4 in the Match Tie-break before taking the title on their third championship point. Earlier in the day, the third seeds defeated second seeds Henri Kontinen and Franko Skugor 7-5, 6-2 to reach the championship match after a partial washout on Thursday.

“It is nice when you get that success immediately,” said Bopanna. “I am really happy that I got this opportunity to come to Doha to play for the very first time. I’ve always played in India. When Wes was available, especially after such a successful 2019, it was a nice opportunity for me to play with him… It is good to start off the year with a title.”

This victory improves Bopanna and Koolhof’s impressive individual records at the start of ATP Tour seasons. This is third time in four years that both men have claimed titles in the opening week (also 2017, ’19).

“In my off-season, I must be doing something pretty well,” said Bopanna. “I don’t know what it is, but if anybody wants their first title, come to India and train with Bopanna in the off-season. That’s the secret.”

“Last year, I won in Brisbane and three years ago I won in the second week in Sydney,” said Koolhof. “I am always starting off the season well, so I think it is time for holidays again.”

Bambridge and Gonzalez had triumphed in two Match Tie-breaks to reach the championship match, including their 2-6, 6-2, 10-4 semi-final win against Frederik Nielsen and Tim Puetz. The British-Mexican partnership trailed Nielsen and Puetz 6-2, 0-2 when play resumed on Friday morning.

Bopanna and Koolhof receive 250 FedEx ATP Doubles Ranking points and split $76,870 in prize money. Bambridge and Gonzalez gain 150 points and share $39,400.

Following a partial washout at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Thursday, Stan Wawrinka made a successful return to the court on Friday to reach his second semi-final in Doha.

The top seed defeated Aljaz Bedene 6-3, 6-4 to improve to 2-1 in quarter-finals at the 2019 ATP 250 Tournament of the Year. Wawrinka’s best result in Doha came in 2008, when the Swiss fell in the championship match against Andy Murray in three sets.

The former World No. 3 dropped just two points behind his first serve (27/29) and saved both break points he faced to advance after 83 minutes. Wawrinka is chasing his first ATP Tour title since lifting the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open trophy in 2017. The 34-year-old finished as runner-up in Rotterdam (l. to Monfils) and Antwerp (l. to Murray) last year.

Wawrinka will return to the court later in the day to face qualifier Corentin Moutet for a spot in the championship match. The #NextGenATP Frenchman outlasted Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and 12 minutes to reach his first ATP Tour semi-final.

Andrey Rublev also booked his place in the semi-finals, beating Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, 6-3. The 2018 runner-up, who owns a 7-2 record at the ATP 250 event, will face Miomir Kecmanovic for a place in the final. Kecmanovic was the only player to advance on Thursday, cruising past Marton Fucsovics 6-2, 6-0 in 55 minutes.