World Number two Rafael Nadal was stunned by 23-year-old Alexander Zverev in the semifinals of Rolex Paris Masters 2020. Till date in his thriving career, the titles from Paris-Bercy and its sister tournament Shanghai Masters are missing from his staggering stack of trophies.

The prestigious title of the year-end tournament wherein the top eight men of ATP compete against each other is also missing from Rafa’s resume.

“Rafael Nadal going to get to London stronger” – Guy Forget

After grabbing three match wins on the indoor hard-court surface of Paris, tournament director Guy Forget feels Nadal will be a tough player at the upcoming event on the English soil.

“Rafael Nadal lost in the semi-final without playing his best tennis, but he was once again extremely catchy. I am convinced that after this first indoor tournament, he’s going to get to London stronger,” said Forget.

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Unlike every year, the Spanish maestro has played a handful of matches on hard-court, and hasn’t ground himself on the professional surfaces. In a nutshell, Nadal is as fresh as a daisy to give his best on London’s hard-court.

The four matches on Paris’ indoor-court have certainly given him good practice for ATP Finals. Altogether, Rafa has the best chance to pick up his maiden year-end crown.

However, the framework of ‘fast-indoor’ courts and relatively low bounce of the ball doesn’t really facilitate Rafa’s game. He needs to take the extra mile to pick up the missing trophy from his collection of titles.

In 2010 and 2013, Nadal reached the finals at ATP Finals, but each time he lost to his age-old nemesis, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. In 2019, despite winning two matches in the group stages, Nadal couldn’t qualify for the semi-finals.

This year in London, Rafael Nadal will be seeded second, i.e., behind his arch-rival Novak Djokovic and he will be leading one half of the draw.