Indian Wells – After a hard piece of work Rafael Nadal entered the final of Indian Wells and took a big step closer to his fourth tournament victory this year.
The tennis star from Spain won the semi-final at the Masters in Indian Wells against his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz 6:4, 4:6, 6:3 and will now meet Taylor Fritz from the USA in the final (not before 23.00 CET/Sky). He had earlier won 7-5, 6-4 against Andrei Rublyov. “I’m very happy to be in the final, it means a lot to me and now I just have to move on,” Nadal said.
Nadal still undefeated in 2022
The win against Alcaraz was already his 20th this year, he is still undefeated in 2022. The winning streak earned him victory at the Australian Open, his 21st title at a major – a record in men’s tennis. Nadal also won the ATP tournaments in Melbourne and Acapulco.
The match was marred by violent gusts of wind in the second set. Because paper and towels flew through the area, there were short interruptions of play several times. “The problem in tennis is we don’t have a rule for it,” Nadal said. He does not have that much of a problem with the wind and sees the circumstances as a challenge. The constant interruptions, however, “make it unplayable for me”.
Nadal with chest pains
In the third set, the 35-year-old had to be treated by a physiotherapist on the court. He had felt pain in his chest, Nadal reported later. “I still feel it a little bit, but there are still many hours until tomorrow. I hope it won’t be a problem.”
Nadal could win a Masters for the 37th time, while Fritz is still waiting for his first victory in a tournament of this category. The only direct duel between the two so far took place two years ago in the final of Acapulco. Nadal won then 6:3, 6:2.
