Nadal breaks his duck with much-needed Ruud win in last match of 2022

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Rafael Nadal managed to end the year with a win in what was his final match of the 2022 season. The top seed at the ATP Finals hadn’t even won a set so far this week but managed to end his four-match losing streak with a 7-5 7-5 victory over Green Group winner Casper Ruud to end his season with an extra 200 ranking points and one final match win, taking him to 39-8 for the year.

Nadal stepped onto court for what was a unique match as he already knew it would be his last of the 2022 season after being eliminated from the group stage while Ruud was already into the semi-final as the group winner. But the Spaniard was bidding to end a four-match losing streak and earn 200 ranking points with a win to end the year on a high following his recent run of defeats.

The top seed in Turin had not even won a set so far but started off on the right foot with a love-hold. Both men continued to hold serve easily until the Spaniard found himself in trouble once again this week as Ruud had two break points at 4-4 but Nadal managed to hold on and put himself within a game of the match.

It was suddenly advantage Nadal as the world No 2 carved out three break points on the Ruud serve for the first time at 6-5 to also give himself three set points, and he needed just one as he sealed the opening set 7-5 with a winner after 51 minutes, marking the first set he has won at the 2022 ATP Finals.

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Nadal continued to outplay the world No 4 in the second set, winning 100 per cent of his first serve points and dropping just four on his second serve en route to a 6-5 lead on serve to put himself within a game of his first win at the 2022 ATP Finals. Just like in the the first set, Nadal took things up a notch while leading 6-5 to set up double match point on Ruud’s serve and broke to close out a 7-5 7-5 victory in an hour and 42 minutes, drawing his 2022 season to a close.

It means the 36-year-old improves to a 2-0 lifetime record against Ruud, having defeated his Rafa Nadal Academy alumni when they faced off in the French Open final earlier this year – the first Grand Slam final of the Norwegian’s career. The 23-year-old also continues his losing record against top three players, as he is now 0-8 against players ranked No 1, 2 and 3 and is yet to even win a set.

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It also means that Nadal’s 2022 season officially comes to an end, though he can head into the off-season with an extra 200 ranking points thanks to his final round-robin win. The world No 2 experienced a year of the highest highs and lowest lows as he started the year on a 20-match winning streak, winning titles in Melbourne and Acapulco as well as a then-record 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.

He then extended the record to 22 by winning the French Open and reached the Wimbledon semi-final before pulling out with a 7mm abdomen tear. He has played just four tournaments since the Cincinnati Masters, US Open, Paris Masters and this week’s ATP Finals, going 4-5 in wins and losses. But he will still be seen on a tennis court this year as he and Ruud will embark on an exhibition tour across South America later this month. Meanwhile, Ruud now goes on to face either Andrey Rublev or Stefanos Tsitsipas in Saturday’s semi-final.

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