Friday, November 22, 2024
Sports

Nadal and Djokovic's final matchup, and Sabalenka earns No. 1 ranking

ndowd
Oct 22, 2024, 10:34 AM ET

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have played in some epic matches over the years.

There was the 2012 Australian Open final, in which Djokovic needed almost six hours to defeat Nadal in five mind-blowing sets. And of course the French Open semifinals the following year, where Nadal held off a comeback-minded Djokovic for a dramatic five-set victory in what some consider one of the best clay matches of all time.

And lest we forget the 2014 final at Roland Garros, or the 2018 semifinals at Wimbledon. The pair recorded 60 official head-to-head showdowns, so the list truly goes on and on.

On Saturday, the legends met again for one last time in a match that won’t end up on a “Best of” list, but was one of the more emotional encounters between the two. With Nadal retiring from tennis next month following the Davis Cup, the two played a third-place match — yes, times have changed — at the “Six Kings Slam” exhibition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Nadal and Djokovic had secured byes into the semifinals of the six-player event and, because they both lost their respective matches against Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, both made it to the consolation match. While it didn’t officially count as their 61st meeting, it still served as a fond farewell to one of the greatest rivalries the sport has ever known.

Much like at their last meeting during the Olympics in Paris this summer, Djokovic took control early before Nadal raised his level in the second set. But, also like in Paris, Djokovic ultimately found a way to win and closed out the 6-2, 7-6 (5) match in 90 minutes. However, unlike at the Games, the result really wasn’t what mattered on Saturday. Instead, it was the clear admiration between the two at the net and after that will be most remembered.

After exchanging a warm hug, Djokovic was candid about his feelings for his longtime foe when speaking to the crowd.

“I go back to the very first match we played and who would [have known] we would be standing here almost 20 years later, playing 60 times,” Djokovic said. “I have the utmost respect for you. Incredible athlete, incredible person. The rivalry has been incredible, very intense, so I hope we will have the chance to sit on the bench somewhere, have a drink and reflect.

“I know how much sacrifice [Nadal has made]. It is an emotional day, so don’t leave tennis, man! Stay with us. You have left an amazing legacy.”

Nadal, who was presented with a golden racket from the tournament organizers, went on to thank the crowd for their continued support over the years and said he would miss “almost everything” about being a professional tennis player.

“It has been a dream come true to be able to play for almost 20 years being competitive, having the chance to play in the best places in the world, which I watched on TV as a kid,” Nadal said.

Sinner won the overall event crown — and a $6 million paycheck — later that day following a 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3 comeback victory over Alcaraz.

Here’s what else you might have missed from around the tennis world last week:

Sabalenka back on top

After winning the title in Wuhan last week, Aryna Sabalenka had narrowed the deficit between herself and Iga Swiatek to just 69 points in the rankings. With neither back in action until the WTA Finals, it seemed likely Swiatek would hold onto the top spot until then, and that the year-end No. 1 would be decided at the WTA’s marquee event.

And while that battle for year-end supremacy still could happen next month, Sabalenka took over the top spot earlier than expected in the latest rankings following “year-end adjustments for falling short of certain tournament quotas,” according to the WTA.

Neither Swiatek or Sabalenka played in the required six 500-level events this season, causing Swiatek, who played in just two, to lose 120 points and Sabalenka, who participated in four, to lose 10. The final 500-level tournament of the year gets underway this week in Tokyo, but neither are in the draw and both will lose more points in the next rankings. With a large gap between them and everyone else, they will remain in the No. 1 and No. 2 spots however.

Despite the somewhat anticlimactic way of getting there, Sabalenka seemed thrilled to be back at No. 1 for the second time in her career. She previously reached the milestone last season but relinquished it back to Swiatek after just eight weeks. The reigning Australian Open and US Open champion jokingly referenced her previous reign in a social media post on Monday morning.

Three years ago, American Tommy Paul won the first ATP title of his career in Stockholm.

On Sunday, Paul was victorious at the event yet again with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Grigor Dimitrov in the final. But this time, it marked his third trophy of the season and was the conclusion of a dominant, near-flawless week. The 27-year-old didn’t drop a set throughout his run and he needed just 85 minutes in the final.

Even Paul seemed impressed by his performance afterwards.

“This is where I got my first title a few years ago and to come out and play the level of tennis I did this week, it’s been a dream,” Paul told the crowd during the trophy ceremony.

Paul, who is now back to his career-high mark of No. 12 in the rankings, now sits in 10th place in the race for the ATP Finals. He is 485 points behind Andrey Rublev, who currently holds the eighth and final spot, and will have a chance to get closer to Rublev this week in Vienna.

Kasatkina wins second title of the season

After a strong week at the Ningbo Open, Daria Kasatkina emerged as the champion at the 500-level tournament on Sunday. In the final, the 27-year-old defeated 17-year-old prodigy Mirra Andreeva in a roller coaster of a match, 6-0, 4-6, 6-4.

It was the first career meeting between the two, and Kasatkina needed just under two hours for the victory, claiming her second title of 2024 and the eighth of her career. She is now ranked at No. 9 — her first time in the top 10 this year and just one spot away from her previous career high.

And while Kasatkina’s gutsy play throughout the tournament certainly was impressive — she needed three sets in three of her four matches and saved two match points in the quarterfinals — it was what happened after the final that went viral. During the trophy ceremony, a visibly upset Andreeva started to cry and was struggling to get through her speech. Kasatkina didn’t hesitate to help as she jumped up onto the stage to console her fellow Russian (and occasional vlog collaborator) with a hug and some encouraging words.

Kasatkina went on to praise Andreeva’s fighting spirit moments later, calling her “the kind of player who never gives up.” She then added, “To win any point [against her], you have to almost die on court.” In turn, Andreeva, who now ends her season ranked a career-high No. 17, congratulated Kasatkina in an Instagram post with a hilarious, but NSFW, caption.

Chaos in Ningbo

While Kasatkina was the winner in Ningbo, there were more than a few (literal) lucky losers at the tournament.

In the 28-player main draw, there were seven women, more than a quarter of the field, who had lost in qualifying but managed to get into the event due to withdrawals. There were ultimately more lucky losers than qualifiers in the draw. While it’s certainly never strange to see a lucky loser or two get into the draw, having seven players pull out in such a small field is not just unlikely, it created near chaos.

Case in point: Not only were there two first-round matches between two lucky losers, Yuliia Starodubtseva — seventh in line for a lucky loser spot — had already left the event after losing in the first round of qualifying and had made it to her next tournament by the time she got the call that she was next in line. Clearly not expecting such a possibility, the current world No. 89, who cracked the top 100 for the first time this month, then posted to social media that she was rushing back to the airport in hopes of getting back to Ningbo.

Starodubtseva didn’t end up making it in time and Jaqueline Cristian, who also lost in the first round of qualifying and was eighth or lower in the lucky loser standings, ended up getting the spot. And because she replaced No. 2 seed Qinwen Zheng, she even received a first-round bye. She then lost to Karolina Muchova in the Round of 16.

The coaching carousel continues

Earlier this month, Swiatek parted ways with her longtime coach Tomasz Wiktorowski after a highly successful partnership that saw her claim four of her five major trophies. In a social media post she said she was focused on finding his immediate replacement.

Shortly before that, four-time major champion (and Swiatek’s friend) Naomi Osaka split with her coach Wim Fissette and hired Serena Williams and Simona Halep‘s former coach Patrick Mouratoglou. And on Thursday, Swiatek announced she would be working with — you guessed it — Fissette going forward. Many had predicted the partnership, and Swiatek praised Fissette for his “great attitude, vision and huge experience at a very top level of tennis” in a social media post.

Swiatek said the two had already started working together ahead of the upcoming WTA Finals but that their focus was “long-term, not short-term.”

“I said many times that my career is a marathon for me, not a sprint and I’m working, operating and making decisions with this approach,” Swiatek wrote. “I want to say that I’m very excited and looking forward to working with Wim.”

Thiem’s farewell

Ahead of this week’s Vienna Open, beloved Austrian star Dominic Thiem was honored by the tournament with a star-studded celebration. The 2020 US Open champion and former world No. 3 announced earlier this year that the event would be his final one before retirement.

Billed as “Super Sunday,” the tournament held an exhibition match between Thiem and his 2020 US Open final opponent Alexander Zverev and had an on-court ceremony. Thiem walked onto the court through a tunnel of his peers, including Frances Tiafoe, Matteo Berrettini and Jack Draper, and former stars, including Boris Becker and Tommy Haas, as the crowd stood in ovation.

Other current and retired players, including Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer, appeared in a video tribute and congratulated him on his career.

“Thank you very much for all that you have given to all of us, but particularly tennis,” Djokovic said. “I’m glad that you have the opportunity to say goodbye in Vienna. One last dance. I wish you a great tournament, with all your family members present, and celebrate it, because you deserve it my friend.”

Thiem’s first-round match is scheduled for Tuesday against Luciano Darderi.

But, of course, there’s still time for him to change his mind. Just ask Danielle Collins.

Collins unretires

After spending almost the entirety of the 2024 season on a farewell tour and answering questions about her impending retirement, Collins, 30, announced she wouldn’t be walking away from the game just yet in an Instagram post on Thursday.

“In addition to managing some lingering health challenges the past few months, I’ve recently been seeing a handful of specialists to better understand what my best path forward is to achieve my ultimate dream, starting a family,” Collins wrote. “Dealing with endometriosis and fertility is a massive challenge for many women and something that I am actively traversing, but I am fully confident in the team I am working with. It is just going to take longer than I thought.

“So, the DANIMAL story has not reached its conclusion. I will be back on tour in 2025.”

Now ranked No. 11, Collins hasn’t played since losing in the first round in Guadalajara in September due to injury. She previously had recorded one of the best seasons of her career with titles in Miami and Charleston, and by making her first Olympic team. She potentially could be next in action at next month’s Billie Jean King Cup as part of the American squad and will kick off her 2025 season representing the U.S. at the United Cup in Australia.


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