World number one Rafael Nadal became the first player to officially qualify for the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals which will take place at the famous O2 Arena in London. The prestigious tournament, which features the world’s top eight singles players and eight doubles teams, will start on November 22. Other qualifiers are expected to be announced in the following months.
The Spaniard has compiled a tour-leading 41-4 match record so far this season. The 22-year old won his sixth Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and went on to clinch three ATP Masters and one ATP 500 titles. The title haul is expected not to end here as he’s been considered a top choice to win other Grand Slams this year such as the French Open and Wimbledon, where he’s the defending champion on both.
“I am very happy to have officially qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals. To qualify for the event in London is great as it was one of my goals of the season and clearly something important that shows that this season has already been a great success for me,” Nadal said in a statement posted at the ATP World Tour website.
The tournament promises to live up to the expectation as a prestigious event, with 150,000 tickets already sold. The remaining 65,000 tickets are made available for purchase online or by phone starting today (May 19).
The season-ending championships is currently celebrating its 40th year in the circuit. Read more about the history of the tournament HERE.
Last year’s champion was Serbian Novak Djokovic who outlasted Nikolay Davydenko of Russia in two sets 6-1, 7-5.
