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Rafael Nadal looking down

Rafael Nadal failure to win ATP Finals down to the surface, suggests Andy Murray


Andy Murray believes the surface is the only reason Rafael Nadal has not won multiple ATP Finals titles.

Nadal has never actually won the event, and he crashed out in the semi-finals to eventual winner Daniil Medvedev last week.

However, the ATP Finals is played on an indoor hardcourt, which is the Spaniard’s weakest surface yet the strongest of many of his rivals.

And that, according to Murray, has created an unfairly skewering of the statistics against Rafael Nadal.

“It’s definitely one he would like to have won,” Murray said.

“It’s just not his best surface and it’s possible that if it was played on clay for the last 10-12 years, then maybe he would have won it six or seven times.

“So, as for sure that the surface has been a contributing factor. It all comes down to preference and game styles and matchups and there’s lots of reasons.

“Rafa would have been highly motivated and really wanting to win this event.

“But, just a difficult surface for him against the top players.”


Michael Graham, Tennishead.net Editor, has been a professional sports journalist for his whole career and is especially passionate about tennis. He's been the Editor of Tennishead.net for over 5 years and loves watching live tennis by visiting as many tournaments as possible. Michael specialises in writing in-depth features about the ATP & WTA tours.