At 36, Rafael Nadal finished the season in the top two. In 2022, the Spaniard won two Major titles and rose to the top of the list with 22 Major crowns to his name. Nadal won four titles this year, reaching the 90th title and aiming for the 100th in the coming years, despite injuries and setbacks.
The Spaniard completed his official duties at the ATP Finals by defeating Casper Ruud to end the season with a victory after losing four matches in a row for the first time in 13 years. In June, Nadal defeated Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 in the Roland Garros final, the Norwegian’s first Majors appearance.
After the US Open, Casper overtook Carlos Alcaraz on the ATP ranking list. He fought with Alcaraz for the ATP crown but lost in his second Major final. Casper, following Carlos Alcaraz and Nadal and hoping to surpass them in the upcoming year, will finish the season in the top three for the first time.
After Turin, Nadal and Ruud embraced the plane and traveled to Buenos Aires for their first exhibition match in South America, so they did not have time to enjoy the off-season. Rafa and Casper began their tour in front of a packed stadium, and Nadal won his first match in Argentina since 2016 with a victory of 7-6, 6-2.
In the opener’s fifth game, Ruud won the first break and won the next game 4-2. Nadal prevailed in game seven and recovered from a 30-0 deficit in the subsequent match to regain confidence. In game 10, Casper was denied a set point on serve, extending the match and bringing the match to a tiebreak.
After a superb point, Rafa won it 10-8 for a significant advantage going into set number two.
The Spaniard fabricated an early benefit and produced a 4-1 lead with one more break on his count. In game seven, Ruud served to stay in the match as Nadal led 5-1.
The Spaniard served for the victory at 5-2, and the Norwegian performed admirably. Rafa hit a jumping forehand down the line to win game eight at 15-0. It was one of the fastest forehands in his career, and the spectators couldn’t even see the ball.
Nadal held at love to win the match and advance to their subsequent Chilean duel in two days.