ATP Finals: Rafa keeps fingers crossed

London, November 8

Rafael Nadal is optimistic he will be 100 percent fit for the ATP Finals as he bids to seal the year-end world No. 1 ranking for the fifth time in his career. The 33-year-old Mallorcan took over at the summit from Novak Djokovic this week but suffered an abdominal injury at the Paris Masters, where he withdrew from his semifinal last Saturday.

Although he leads Djokovic by 640 points heading into the London climax, he is likely to need a strong finish at an event he is yet to win to prevent the Serb reclaiming the top spot. 

“I need to go day by day,” Nadal told reporters after arriving at London’s Thames-side O2 Arena by boat on Friday. “I’m happy to be here because after last Saturday in Paris I didn’t know if I would have the chance to be here. So I’m excited to be here after a couple of years without being able to play. I need to see how things evolve every single day. I have good hopes to be 100 percent ready for Monday.” — Reuters