Rafa Nadal Ready For Nitto ATP Finals, Djokovic And Federer In Same Round-Robin Group

By Ricky Dimon

Rafael Nadal is optimistic about his participation in the upcoming Nitto ATP Finals and therefore remained in the field when the draw ceremony was held on Tuesday afternoon in London.

“Hello everyone,” Nadal posted on Twitter. “Yesterday I had [an exam] in Mallorca and despite having a small strain in the right abdominal rectum, I will travel to London. Thursday or Friday I will start adapting to the service. The idea is to be able to play the #atpfinals in London. Thanks for the support!”

The world No. 1 is in Group Andre Agassi along with Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Alexander Zverev. Both Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are in Group Bjorn Borg and will be heavily favored to advance to the semifinals. Their round-robin challengers are Dominic Thiem and London debutant Matteo Berrettini. Medvedev and Tsitsipas are also making their first appearances at the O2 Arena.

Djokovic will contest the first singles match against Berrettini on Sunday afternoon, followed by Federer vs. Thiem at night. Group Andre Agassi takes center stage on Monday, starting with Medvedev vs. Tsitsipas during the day and Nadal facing Zverev in the nightcap.

“It is very interesting,” said Zverev, who participated in the draw ceremony. “We have three young guys in our group with Rafa. “They are both tough groups. Obviously it was very special lifting the trophy last year an I’ll do everything I can to lift it again.”

Group Andre Agassi
Rafael Nadal
Daniil Medvedev
Stefanos Tsitsipas
Alexander Zverev

Group Bjorn Borg
Novak Djokovic
Roger Federer
Dominic Thiem
Matteo Berrettini

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on twitter at @Dimonator.