When Rafael Nadal signed off early from the ATP World Tour Finals this week with a hearty: “Thank you, and merry Christmas everyone,” it was tempting to shout out after the Spaniard as he limped home to the warmth and comfort of the Spanish sunshine: “And thanks for coming.”
It was the sixth time in 14 qualifications for this event that Nadal’s body has given up on him – the previous five of those before a ball was hit – and few players are more committed to the cause than the muscular Mallorcan. So, he should not be castigated for giving what little he had and he will be missed. But his departure certainly sucked the life out of the O2 Arena, hosting this season-ending cash bonanza for the eighth year, with at least three more to come.
However, this gig is as demanding as nearly any in sport, not so much because of the format or even the hard court that Nadal struggles with, but because of the accumulated workload the eight finalists have to bear to get here.
Nadal was never going to go deeper than a couple of days’ play this year, having withdrawn after two matches in Paris, the week before, with a recurrence of his chronic knee pain. But there are sponsors to please, tickets to sell, eyeballs to log, digital clicks to click.
The event was already missing its champion, Andy Murray, as well as Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic. They all chose or had imposed on them a rest for the remainder of the 2017 season because their bodies said no, even if their bank managers whispered yes.
The fans, however, continue to flock to the O2 Arena, even if they suspect their favourites are less than 100% fit to entertain them. It is a chance to see eight days of potentially excellent tennis, with 17,500 packed into a magnificent setting in each of the day and nightly sessions from Sunday to Sunday.
This year, they have had to make do – although only a curmudgeon would complain about the replacement dish. There are four first-time qualifiers: the exciting world No3, Alexander Zverev; the dashing Grigor Dimitrov; the American with the quick wits and big serve, Jack “Showtime” Sock; and David Goffin, who played one match last year as an alternate. Nevertheless, they are not Rafa, Andy, Novak or Stan – or even Kei or Milos, whose stars shine not quite as brightly as that bankable quartet.
Generally, the contests this week have been competitive – although Dimitrov, back to his zestful best this season after too long wondering about his muted gifts, bagelled the exhausted Goffin, his left knee heavily taped, on the way to a one-sided 6-0, 6-2 win in 73 minutes on Wednesday afternoon. It was Goffin who outlasted Nadal two days previously.
Dimitrov, the first semi-finalist from his group, said courtside after a blistering performance: “You get a few days out of the year where everything you touch turns to gold. But I work for those days. It’s very nice when they come on such an occasion. It’s a special win for me. My movement was great, I was reading the game pretty well, getting a lot of returns back in court. I thought I could have played longer, which is great. I’m not here just to participate.”
Dimitrov, the first Bulgarian to make it into the final eight, said of the tournament: “It is not only big for me, but big for the whole country.” Goffin, also, is flying the flag, if a little limply – the first Belgian to qualify in the 47 years of the men’s end-of-season event in its various guises. It matters.
A few hours after Dimitrov’s win, Dominic Thiem beat Pablo Carreno-Busta 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
There is no reason to believe the partnership the ATP chief executive, Chris Kermode, negotiated with Nitto this year to replace Barclays will not be a fruitful one. But the event also will be fraught on occasions. For all its thrills and spills, for all that it is a lovely game to watch, tennis demands a lot of its warriors.
