ATP Finals 2022: 'Don't think I forgot how to play tennis' - Nadal after semis race ouster

ATP Finals 2022: Rafael Nadal's bid for his elusive Finals title ended after suffering a loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime on Tuesday. However, he vowed to fight until the end and aim for a win against Casper Ruud.

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It has not been the best of memories for record 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal of Spain at the ATP Finals, having not won the prestigious title in his illustrious career. While he was bidding for his elusive title career in Turin this year, it all seems to have ended in heartbreak again. On Tuesday, he suffered a straight-set 6-3, 6-4 defeat to Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada at the Pala Alpitour. It was his second consecutive failure in the group stage, ruling him out of the semis contention, with a match against Casper Ruud of Norway on Thursday. Meanwhile, Nadal has vowed to keep fighting until the end.

Chatting with the reporters on Tuesday following the failure, Nadal said, "[There are] a couple of positive things. I was able to play in two tournaments in the past three weeks. That's the positive thing, something that I could not do for a while. I don't think I forgot how to play tennis and be strong enough mentally. I need to recover all these positive feelings, confidence, and strong mentality that I need to be at the level I want to be."

"I will fight until the end, but when things are going that way, it is difficult to change the dynamic and the result, especially under these circumstances. With this surface, playing against big servers and great players, [I have] nothing to complain about. I have to accept that it's what we have today. The opponent playing the key points better," concluded Nadal.

While Nadal enjoyed considerable success in the opening half of the season, winning the Australian Open and French Open, following the Wimbledon injury, he has played only eight tour-level contests. With Rudd's win over Taylor Fritz of the United States of America (USA), the Spaniard is also out of the year-ending number one contention, which has gone to fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.