World number two Rafael Nadal has officially qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals 2014 which will take place in London’s O2 Arena from November 9 to 16. Nadal joins world number one Novak as the first two players to qualify for the singles competition.
This is Nadal’s 10th straight year to qualify for the season-ending event. He’s finished runner-up twice – in 2010 (to Roger Federer) and last year (to Djokovic).
ATP Executive Chairman and President, Chris Kermode, said, “Rafa’s qualification for this year’s Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is terrific news for tennis fans in the UK. They now have another chance to see a true sporting icon battle it out for the last title of the season. Rafa has previously come close to winning the title in London a number of times. This year, once again, many will consider him to be a leading contender as he looks to add this prestigious title to his long list of career achievements.”
Nadal has won four titles so far this season – Qatar Open, Rio Open, Madrid Masters and the Roland Garros tournament. He’s won the French Open for the ninth time and increased his Grand Slam singles title haul to 14, just three shy from overall leader and record holder Roger Federer.
Federer, ranked third in the world, is expected to qualify in the next few weeks.
Nadal stepped down from the world number one ranking last week after Djokovic won the Wimbledon 2014 tournament.
Meanwhile, in doubles – the top-ranked team of brothers Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan qualified for the year-end tournament. They’ll be vying to win the title for the fourth time. So far the brothers have won five titles.
