Tennis: Nadal avoids Djokovic in ATP Finals group

TURIN – Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have been drawn in separate groups for the ATP Finals starting from Sunday, which would keep the tennis greats away from each other until the semi-finals, at the earliest.

Nadal, the top seed at the year-end championship for the fifth time, leads the Green Group, which consists of Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Taylor Fritz, while Stefanos Tsitsipas is in the Red Group with Djokovic, 2020 champion Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev. 

Seventh seed Djokovic will try to make history at Turin’s Pala Alpitou as the Serb attempts to tie Roger Federer’s record of six ATP Finals titles. Nadal, on the other hand, has yet to win this event.

“It’s always great news to be playing the last event of the year. That says that you had a great season, so I’m excited,” said Nadal, who arrived in Turin on Tuesday ahead of Thursday’s draw.

“Italy is a very close country for me. Being in Turin for the first time in my life, it’s a new experience, so I’m very happy for that and I’m looking forward to seeing the stadium and the fans. I’ll try my best, as always.”

Nadal was also involved in another draw – the United Cup – which will kick off the Spaniard’s 2023 season.

The new mixed teams event, with US$15 million (S$20.9 million) in prize money and ranking points at stake, has replaced the men’s ATP Cup and will be held in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney as a key build-up to the Australian Open, the year’s first Grand Slam.

Eighteen countries, divided into six groups, will compete across 11 days from Dec 29. Each team comprise four men and four women, with 500 ATP and 500 WTA ranking points available.

World No. 2 and 22-time Grand Slam winner Nadal – the defending Australian Open champion – will headline Spain’s team in Sydney, along with 13th-ranked Paula Badosa.

But Spanish world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz will not take part. They were drawn in Group D with Britain and the Nick Kyrgios-led Australia.

Top-ranked Iga Swiatek will spearhead Poland’s charge in Brisbane alongside Hubert Hurkacz, while world No. 3 Jessica Pegula is on a United States team that also feature Madison Keys, Fritz and Frances Tiafoe.

The Americans were drawn in Sydney-based Group C, alongside Germany and the Czech Republic.

Other notable United Cup entries include Norwegian world No. 4 Ruud and Germany’s Alexander Zverev, who is planning a return to the courts in December following a serious ankle injury suffered at the French Open in June. AFP