KEY POINTS

  • Rafa Nadal is yet to win the ATP Tour Finals title
  • ATP Tour Finals is set to begin on Nov. 13
  • The hard-court event will take place in Turin

Rafael Nadal has said he does not see himself winning the ATP Tour Finals this year. The 22-time Grand Slam champion is yet to win the season-ending championship.

Top eight singles players compete in the tournament. The hard-court event is scheduled to begin on Nov. 13 in Turin, Italy, and will go on till Nov. 20. Nadal, along with Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Novak Djokovic, Félix Auger-Aliassime and Andrey Rublev, will be divided into two groups.

Earlier this week, Nadal made his first appearance on the court since the US Open (not including Laver Cup). However, he suffered a second-round exit to Tommy Paul at Paris Masters, a tournament he has never won.

Considering the lack of a strong build-up to the ATP Tour Finals, Nadal said it would be "difficult to imagine" he would win his maiden ATP Finals title this year.

"I mean, for me, it's difficult to imagine now arriving in good enough shape to win a tournament like this one that I didn't win during my whole tennis career. To play against the best players of the world, from the first day you need to be there and the rhythm, conditions, that will not happen," Nadal said in an interview.

"So the only thing I can do is try to be there earlier, have some good practice with the guys and then give my best on the court – and hopefully the level of tennis will be there, and the body too. I just think about 'be better' – I need to improve a couple of things, and then I need to play sets against the best players, to feel myself again, competitive against everyone," added Nadal.

The Spanish veteran player also suggested that if he can't be his best this year at ATP Tour Final, "there's going to be next year, and I'm going to try to have the best season possible to start strong."

Rafael Nadal announces he is pulling out of Wimbledon
Rafael Nadal has won 4 titles in 2022 POOL via AFP / Joe TOTH

After his loss to Paul at Paris Masters, Nadal said lack of game time was one of the reasons behind his early exit.

"I am always eager to play, even though the last couple of months have been hard for me. I was not able to spend much of my days on Tour in the last 5 months, let alone competing; I was not even able to practice tennis on the court, and that's what I need," explained Nadal.