Nadal ready ‘to die’ to return to his tennis peak

Rafael Nadal says he is “going to die” trying to return to the level of tennis that saw him capture a record 22 Grand Slam singles titles after his hopes of a first-ever ATP Finals title and becoming year end world number one were extinguished on Tuesday. The 36-year-old Spaniard fell 6-3, 6-4 to Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in Turin to follow up on a defeat by Taylor Fritz on Sunday. To stay alive in the finals, Nadal needed Fritz to beat Casper Ruud in straight sets on Tuesday. But when Ruud won a set against Fritz, it meant a sharp exit for Nadal and also that his teenage compatriot, US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz, would finish the year as the top-ranked male player. Ruud went on to beat Fritz 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (8/6) to book himself a semi-final berth, while Fritz plays off with Auger-Aliassime on Thursday to determine which player goes through to the last four. Click here for full story