Nadal and Djokovic Win Titles, Thiem Cracks Top 3
Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic reasserted their dominance in the tennis world, cruising through difficult fields in Acapulco and Dubai to claim titles there. Nadal did not drop a set on his way to winning in Acapulco, defeating Taylor Fritz 6-3 6-2 to win his 3rd title there. Nadal’s job had been made a lot easier by the early withdrawal of defending champion Nick Kyrgios from the tournament following a wrist injury.
”I couldn’t be happier. I played a great event from the beginning to the end,” Nadal said. “Acapulco was the first big title that I won in my career, so to be able to stay here after 15 years is amazing. I can’t thank enough the people who make me feel at home every single time.”
Djokovic gave an equally dominant display in Dubai, turning World Number 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas over 6-3 6-4 in just 77 minutes. The Serb’s toughest challenge all week came against Gael Monfils, where he had to save 3 match points in the second set before going on to win. This victory guaranteed that despite his title in Mexico, Nadal did not reclaim the position of World Number One for this week.
In other news, Dominic Thiem finally cracked the World’s Top 3 today, moving above 4 in the world for the first time in his career after Federer’s 500 points from Dubai last year dropped off, allowing Thiem to move up 1 place in the rankings. Thiem did not play any tournament this week, but strong displays at the Australian Open and the Rio Open this year have given Thiem enough points to rise up in the world rankings, away from the chasing group of Medvedev, Tsitsipas and Monifls.
Written by Emre Saridogan