Rafael Nadal found one big positive to take away from his surprise 6-2, 6-4 defeat to Alexander Zverev on Monday night at the Nitto ATP Finals: The Spaniard is pain-free.

The World No. 1 pulled out of his Rolex Paris Masters semi-final on 2 November after feeling a strain in his abdominal while serving in the warm-up. But Nadal said he didn’t feel any such pain during his first match at The O2 since 2017.

“No complaint about the physical condition. No pain in abdominal. That’s the only positive thing, honestly. That’s all. Happy the way that [the] abdominal [felt], and hopefully I can continue like this, because it’s true that I was not able to create a lot of practice and a lot of effort on that part of the body since last Saturday,” Nadal said.

“The physical issue was not an excuse at all. The only excuse is I was not good enough tonight.”

Nadal fell to 5-1 against Zverev in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series and was unable to get much going against the offencive-minded German, who is trying to become the first player to win back-to-back Nitto ATP Finals titles since Novak Djokovic in 2014-15.

Zverev, with 28 winners, more than doubled Nadal’s total (13).

“I stay positive. I stay competitive, something that today I was not,” Nadal said. “That’s the thing that I am more disappointed [with], because knowing that I will not be at my 100 per cent in terms of feelings, in terms of movement, in terms of confidence or hitting the ball, I needed my best competitive spirit this afternoon, and I was not there in that way.”

Nadal is looking to finish year-end No. 1 for the fifth time and draw even with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. The top seed currently leads Novak Djokovic by 440 points in the battle for year-end No. 1.

When at the Nitto ATP Finals, Alexander Zverev brings his best.

The defending champion upset the World No. 1 at The O2 for the second consecutive year on Monday, beating top seed Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-4 for his first win against the Spaniard (1-5).

The 22-year-old German controlled the Group Andre Agassi matchup throughout, showing signs of the level that brought him his biggest title to date last year in London, when he became the first player to beat Roger Federer and then-No. 1 Novak Djokovic in tournament history.

“This means so much, playing here again after winning my biggest title so far in my career here last year. This means everything to me,” Zverev said.

“I was looking forward to this match, and thanks a lot for all the support, everybody who came out… The atmosphere is the reason why everybody is trying, the goal of the beginning of the season is to make London. Because playing here, playing in front of you all, playing in The O2 is something that we don’t have during the year, and this is so special.”

Zverev took advantage of the quick indoor conditions and played attacking tennis against Nadal, who was playing his first match since withdrawing from his Rolex Paris Masters semi-final on 2 November (abdominal tear).

PEAK ALEXANDER ZVEREV!

This might just be shot of the tournament ?

?: @TennisTV | @AlexZverev | #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/e1emNM0hLj

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 11, 2019

The German won 88 per cent (30/34) of his first-serve points and never faced a break point.

“I did not feel pain in the abdominal at all,” Nadal said. “Sascha, well played, and me, [badly] played, honestly. We can find reasons or excuses, but at the end of the day, [all that] really matters is I need to play much better in two days after tomorrow. That’s the only thing.”

Zverev, after taking the opener and an early break, handed Nadal a window of opportunity with two double faults, falling behind 0/30. But the seventh seed composed himself to escape and never faced such trouble again on his racquet.

Nadal, meanwhile, struggled to find his best tennis. He was broken twice in the first set, both times missing forehands, and in the opening game of the second set, after a lengthy back-and-forth rally, Zverev finished off the break with a forehand volley. Zverev won 75 per cent (6/8) of his net forays.

The Spaniard particularly struggled to return Zverev’s first serve, let alone win the point to make inroads in the German’s service games.

“The whole thing was about the serve,” Zverev said. “Obviously when I play this aggressive tennis, when I play this way, I have now beaten all three guys on this court, Big 3, so it shows that I can play very well and beat the top players.”

The 33-year-old Nadal is looking to finish year-end No. 1 for the fifth time and currently leads second-seeded Djokovic by 440 points in the battle for year-end No. 1. Djokovic faces fifth seed Dominic Thiem on Tuesday night.

Did You Know?
Zverev improved to 3-0 in opening group matches at the Nitto ATP Finals. He beat Marin Cilic in 2017 and 2018.

Ruthless performance from @AlexZverev ?

Last year’s champion triumphs 6-2, 6-4 & defeats Nadal for the first time in his career ?

?: @TennisTV | #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/ekbv1wBGvr

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 11, 2019

Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut moved closer to completing their historic doubles season with a maiden crown at the Nitto ATP Finals. The French pair ousted top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 6-3, 7-5 on Monday in Group Max Mirnyi 6-3, 7-5.

“It was a great match for us,” said Herbert. “It was a high-level match from both sides and we knew we needed to be good against the No. 1 team. We’re so happy with the level we played. To come through this first match is something special for us.”

Mahut said, “I remember well how they won Wimbledon, as I was on the other side of the court [with Edouard Roger-Vasselin]. Today we made the best start at the [Nitto] ATP Finals in our five appearances here. We’re really happy to have won today and keeping trying to win.”

Cabal/Farah started off strongly by breaking Herbert’s serve in the opening game, but Herbert/Mahut leveled the score three games later with a gorgeous topspin lob winner from Mahut on Cabal’s serve. Herbert’s aggressive volleying helped the French pair break Cabal’s serve for a 4-2 lead and they rode the slight advantage to an early lead.

The Colombian pair refused to bow out quietly, though. Cabal/Farah let out a roar of delight after breaking Herbert/Mahut for a 3-1 lead in the second set, but a double fault from Farah in the next game gifted the break right back. Both teams remained even until Mahut sprung to life at 5-5 with a forehand volley winner to break Cabal. A smash winner from Herbert in the next game wrapped up play after one hour and 21 minutes.

Herbert/Mahut improved to 5-1 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Cabal/Farah. Last year’s finalists (l. to M. Bryan/Sock) became the eighth men’s doubles team to complete the career Grand Slam by prevailing in January at the Australian Open (d. Kontinen/Peers). They arrived in London on a high after prevailing two weeks ago on home soil at the Rolex Paris Masters (d. Khachanov/Rublev).

Stefanos Tsitsipas was on a mission Monday during his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals: avoid Daniil Medvedev’s backhand. That strategy paid dividends for the Greek Star, who defeated Medvedev for the first time in their sixth FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting.

Entering the match, Tsitsipas and Medvedev had both won 76 per cent of their first-serve points this season. But it was the 21-year-old who dominated that category inside The O2 in London, winning 89 per cent of his first-serve points compared to 72 per cent for Medvedev.

According to Hawkeye, a staggering 43 per cent of Tsitsipas’ first serves were unreturned by Medvedev, who had won more than 31 per cent of his first-serve return points in 2019 entering the match.

Tsitsipas targeted Medvedev’s forehand, aiming out wide in the deuce court and down the T in the ad court more than anywhere else.

Tsitsipas First-Serve Placement vs. Medvedev

Tsitsipas’ first-serve domination proved key, as Medvedev put all of his second-serve returns into the court, winning 59 per cent of those points.

Even though he was not as successful behind his second serve, Tsitsipas was unrelenting in his strategy. The three-time ATP Tour champion did not go to Medvedev’s backhand once in the ad court, and he only did so three times — a rate of 20 per cent — in the deuce court. And those three second serves were closer to being body serves than they were to the centre service line.

Tsitsipas Second-Serve Placement vs. Medvedev

Medvedev camped deep in the court on return, especially when facing Tsitsipas’ first serve. The Russian returned just one first serve from within three metres of the baseline.

Medvedev Return Contact Point vs. Tsitsipas

Tsitsipas was more focussed on taking his returns early. All of his first-serve returns came closer in than all but one of Medvedev’s. The Greek put 67 per cent of his first-serve returns into play.

Tsitsipas Return Contact Point vs. Medvedev

Tsitsipas carried his service strategy to baseline rallies, especially on the forehand side. The sixth seed struck 49 per cent of his forehands to Medvedev’s forehand.

Tsitsipas Forehand Placement vs. Medvedev

Medvedev was more intent on targeting Tsitsipas’ backhand, hitting 47 per cent of his forehands down the line. Overall, the Russian went to the Greek’s backhand 51 per cent of the time.

Medvedev Forehand Placement vs. Tsitsipas

Early in the match, Medvedev contolled the longer rallies, winning eight of the 11 points that lasted more than nine shots in the first set. But Tsitsipas turned the tide in the second set, emerging victorious in five of eight rallies that lasted that long. And targeting Medvedev’s forehand helped him earn what he called, “one of the most important victories of my career”.

– Hawkeye data and visuals courtesy of ATP Media

Stefanos Tsitsipas is one set away from clinching his first win against Daniil Medvedev at the Nitto ATP Finals, grabbing the opening set 7-6(5) as both players make their debut at The O2 in London.

Tsitsipas couldn’t convert the lone break point in the opening set and hit a slice backhand into the net. He struck first in the tie-break and a strong forehand helped him create a 4/2 mini-break advantage, but a forehand approach sent wide two points later tied up the score.

But at 5/5, the Greek produced one of his best points of the match and finished it with a forehand volley winner. Tsitsipas converted the opportunity with an aggressive forehand and let out a roar of delight. He finished the set with 16 winners and won 13 of 17 trips to the net.

Medvedev holds a flawless 5-0 record in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry. Two wins against Tsitsipas came at Masters 1000 events this year in Monte-Carlo and Shanghai. The Russian is seeking his 60th tour-level win of the season.

More to follow…

INCREDIBLE rally at a key moment ?@StefTsitsipas is on fire right now ?

?: @TennisTV | #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/oIo8IATfGp

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 11, 2019

Victory never tasted so sweet for Michael Mmoh. The 21-year-old notched his first title in his comeback from a shoulder injury, defeating an in-form Christopher O’Connell 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday to cap a strong week at the Knoxville Challenger.

Mmoh was sidelined for four months earlier this year, before returning to the court at Roland Garros in May. It was a challenging comeback for the Florida resident, but he is beginning to find his form once again as the season winds to a close.

Mmoh, who ascended to a career-high No. 96 a year ago, has been fighting to rebuild his ATP Ranking and rediscover his top form in the second half of 2019. He rises 56 spots to No. 238 with the victory.

It has all come full circle for the American, who won his first Challenger title in Knoxville three years ago. At the time, Mmoh was first embarking on his professional journey. Now, fully healthy, he is targeting a speedy return to the Top 100 in 2020.

Your 2019 @KnoxChallenger champion… @MichaelMmoh!

The ?? earns his first title in his comeback from a shoulder injury, dropping just one set in six matches to lift the ?. pic.twitter.com/IpItHKQ8G5

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 11, 2019

Arguably the most important aspect of Mmoh’s week in Knoxville is the maturation he experienced. One week ago, the American was defaulted in Charlottesville after throwing his racquet and inadvertently hitting a linesman. You learn a lot about a person’s character following such a moment, and a devastated and emotional Mmoh responded with great strength and maturity. It was an uncharacteristic moment for one of the more kind and charismatic players on tour, but one that he admits has provided the biggest learning experience of his life.

Mmoh spoke to broadcaster Mike Cation after lifting the trophy…

Congrats, Mike. I keep thinking that you closed out the match on a serve-and-volley. When you won here in 2016, it was as a defensive player. But your attacking today was remarkable. What made you want to close it out that way?
If you told me a couple years ago that I’d serve and volley on set point in the first set and again to do it to win the match, I would have said ‘no chance’. I even shocked myself. I was even talking to my coach Patrick [Frandji] about it and I think all the doubles I played has helped a lot.

Last year I might have played two doubles events, but now I’ve played four in the past couple weeks. Just to get those reps and work on my transition game. I’m getting pumped about that. This was probably my best volleying performance ever. I knew he was going to slice every return and if I came in, I’d get a volley I liked. I just had to go for it and trust myself.

That’s hard to do, especially when you’re at the ranking you are. A match like that means so much. How do you trust yourself like that in matches?
I don’t know. It’s all instincts, honestly. I was just as nervous as anyone watching. Especially those couple deuce games when I’m down break point. It was serve and volley reactions. I wasn’t thinking when I was doing it. It just happened. My intent going into this match was to be aggressive and impose my will. I found out that he wasn’t passing as well, and I won a lot of points when I came to the net. I just knew the percentages were on my side.

What have you been doing in the training sessions with Patrick the past couple weeks?
Everything, from A to Z. Every single drill in the book. I’ve been telling him and he’s been telling me to spend at least a half hour at the net. Every day. Whether I miss a thousand volleys, it might not pay off immediately, but just getting those reps and working that side of my game, I think it’s so beneficial to my game.

In terms of where you are now, you’re pretty much locked into Australian Open qualies worst-case scenario. You also have the lead in the USTA’s wild card challenge. Did you think you would get to this point?
Coming into these few weeks, I definitely thought it was a goal. I was playing well and didn’t get the results I wanted. I played Steve Johnson early in Fairfield. I played Vasek Pospisil in Las Vegas. All the players I was losing to were good players. In practice, my game was there. If I got on a roll, maybe it could happen. After last week, I had no intention of winning the wild card. I just want to be playing and if I win a couple rounds here it’s great. I won my first round and played great. Darian King is always a tough competitor and then my draw opened up a little bit. I believed in myself and took full advantage.

You brought up what happened in Charlottesville. It was very emotional for me, knowing you. And knowing that it’s just not like you. I can’t even imagine what it was like. What were those conversations like with your mom in terms of mentally being ready to be here this week?
Right after the match I went to the little cafe area in Charlottesville. I was sitting down with my mom. I’ll remember this for the rest of my life. I was just balling my eyes out. I was so disappointed in myself and embarrassed. I didn’t know how I would make it past that. I didn’t know how I could even play tennis again, which is so sad. It was a low moment. I took it one moment at a time and one day at a time. My mom definitely gave me a lot of power and a lot of courage.

Getting some practices and matches in was important. Coming into my first round match I was still thinking about it. But it gave me a different perspective. Coming into that day in Charlottesville, I thought the worst thing that could happen was me losing that tennis match. But I would have lost 6-0, 6-0 without doing what I did. I felt so bad in that moment.

To overcome that, I’ve been happy winning tennis matches before, but I’ve never been this proud. I can’t apologize to whoever saw that moment and to that linesman enough. It was a mistake that I will always regret for the rest of my life. From the bottom of my soul, I feel so bad.

It’s ironic because it was Darian King opposite you and he had his unfortunate moment a few years ago in Charlottesville. Did you talk to him at all, because it took him a while to recover?
I actually haven’t spoken to Darian himself, but I’ve had conversations with his brother. His brother talked to me about what Darian went through and his emotions for the next couple of weeks. He really helped me.

A lot of players were actually super nice about the whole situation. They told me stories of similar things they went through. They said to learn from it. Paolo Lorenzi told me about a story from 10 years ago, where he threw a racquet and it almost hit a ball kid. From that day, he said he will never throw a racquet for the rest of his life. I said that I will make that same initiative.

You have one tournament left this year. It’s in Houston and it’s outside and cold. Where are you at mentally going there?
Well, I’ve only played half the year. I’ve played 30 matches this year and everyone else has played more than 70. I feel relatively fresh. The cold is an aspect that will be a challenge, but I’m ready for it. Nothing is a bigger battle than this week, so forget about 30-degree weather. I’m ready for it.

A LOOK BACK
Hyogo Noah Challenger (Kobe, Japan): The tension reached a crescendo with every match point. Yosuke Watanuki was serving for his first ATP Challenger Tour title, but the nerves of the occasion were overwhelming for the 21-year-old.

With the championship on his racquet at 5-4 40/0 in the second set, Watanuki’s level dropped and Yuichi Sugita raised his. In front of nearly 4,000 fans at the Bourbon Beans Dome in Kobe, the Saitama native found himself one point from celebrating his maiden moment on home soil… nine times.

As eight championship points came and went, the expression on Watanuki’s face went from agony to panic. The #NextGenATP star tried everything to seal the victory, from engaging Sugita in backhand slice rallies from the baseline to attacking the net with abandon.

A murmur grew throughout the arena as the 23-point game seemed to extend for an eternity. But in the end, Watanuki would fight off his dogged countryman, saving three break points and eventually crossing the finish line with a massive exhale. At that point, it was more relief than ecstasy.

The moment of victory.

On his NINTH championship point, Yosuke Watanuki claims his maiden #ATPChallenger title in Kobe.

One year after finishing runner-up, the ?? reigns on home soil. pic.twitter.com/iOJsbdtTZ3

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 10, 2019

Watanuki would secure his first ATP Challenger Tour crown without dropping a set all week. In fact, he did not relinquish more than four games in a set in his six matches played. It was a dominant performance to conclude the 2019 season for the budding Japanese star.

At No. 302 in the ATP Rankings to enter the week, Watanuki will vault 76 spots to No. 226. And the victory carries added significance, securing his place in Australian Open qualifying in January.

With the win, Watanuki joins Yoshihito Nishioka as the only Japanese champions aged 21 & under in a decade. After finishing runner-up in Kobe a year ago, he finally wrapped his arms around the trophy.

Slovak Open (Bratislava, Slovakia): Dennis Novak emerged from a loaded draw to claim the title in Bratislava. With seven players inside the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings, the field was stacked on the indoor hard courts of Slovakia’s National Tennis Centre.

In the end, it was an unseeded Novak who emerged with the trophy, defeating countryman Sebastian Ofner, #NextGenATP star Alexei Popyrin, home favourite Norbert Gombos, third seed Stefano Travaglia, ninth seed Egor Gerasimov and fifth seed Damir Dzumhur for the title. That’s six wins in seven days for the Austrian, who dismissed Dzumhur 6-1, 6-1 in just 49 minutes on Sunday.

It was Novak’s second Challenger crown, having prevailed in Taipei City earlier this year. He is once again knocking on the door of a Top 100 breakthrough, rising to No. 108 in the ATP Rankings.

Uruguay Open (Montevideo, Uruguay): Jaume Munar was the comeback kid throughout the week in Montevideo. The Spaniard rallied from a set down on three occasions, en route to the title at the last outdoor clay-court event of 2019.

Munar ousted third seed Federico Delbonis 7-5, 6-2 on Sunday to triumph, earning his fourth Challenger title and first of 2019. Earlier in the week, he stormed back to defeat Jozef Kovalik, Andrea Collarini and last week’s Guayaquil winner Thiago Seyboth Wild. It was a well-earned championship for the 22-year-old.

Knoxville Challenger (Knoxville, Tennessee, USA): Victory never tasted so sweet for Michael Mmoh. The 21-year-old notched his first title in his comeback from a shoulder injury, which sidelined him for four months earlier this year. He defeated an in-form Christopher O’Connell 6-4, 6-4 to cap a strong week on the indoor hard courts of Knoxville.

Mmoh, who ascended to a career-high No. 96 a year ago, has been fighting to rebuild his ATP Ranking and rediscover his top form in 2019. He rises 56 spots to No. 238 with the victory.

It has all come full circle for the American, who won his first Challenger title in Knoxville three years ago. At the time, Mmoh was first embarking on his professional journey. Now, fully healthy, he is targeting a speedy return to the Top 100 in 2020.

A LOOK AHEAD
The penultimate week of the 2019 season features five tournaments on three continents.

Top seed Tennys Sandgren, defending champion Bradley Klahn and veteran Ivo Karlovic lead the charge at the Challenger 125 event in Houston. Also in the United States, Denis Kudla is the top seed in Champaign and is joined by Blaz Rola and Emilio Gomez.

On European soil, Henri Laaksonen leads the charge at the inaugural Tali Open in Helsinki, Finland. Emil Ruusuvuori, the Finnish No. 1, is also in action. And at a snowy Sparkassen ATP Challenger in northern Italy, Jannik Sinner returns to the circuit after lifting the trophy at the Next Gen ATP Finals.

In Asia, top Indian Prajnesh Gunneswaran leads the field in Pune. Countryman Sumit Nagal and Aussie James Duckworth are competing at the Balewadi Sports Complex.