Rafael Nadal saved match point before recording a dramatic 6-7 6-3 7-6 victory over Daniil Medvedev at the ATP Finals on Wednesday. The world number one, who has never won the end of season event before, would have been eliminated had he lost to Medvedev having already suffered a straight sets defeat to defending champion Alexander Zverev in his group opener on Monday. An early exit certainly looked to be on the cards as Nadal was 5-1 down in the deciding set and he then had to save match point on his own serve one game later. The 33-year-old held his nerve, however, and was ultimately able to close out the tie and keep his hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive. Nadal admitted after the win that he thought the match was over when he was trailing so significantly in the final set, while he reserved praise for world number four Medvedev, who he also beat in the final of this year’s US Open. “In that moment (when trailing 5-1), what you think is… probably in five minutes I go to the locker room. I dunno, in that moment you play with not much pressure. I played a great game,” Nadal told reporters. “Daniil is tough mentally, he showed that in his years and he showed if he is solid mentally, he is one of the best on court. It happened today for me, but I’m very sorry for him because to lose a match like this is tough, pain. He’s a good lad I think and he should be very proud about all the things he’s doing.” Next up for the Spaniard will be a clash with Stefanos Tsitsipas in his final Group Andre Agassi match on Friday, with a win likely to guarantee his place in the semi-finals.
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