Rafael Nadal has experienced ecstasy of comebacks and feels for the agony Daniil Medvedev must endure for a late-match collapse.
The world No. 1 showed ferocious fighting spirit saving a match point at 1-5 down in the decider in storming back for a 6-7(3), 6-3, 7-6(4) conquest of Daniil Medvedev in a thrilling ATP Finals round-robin clash in London.
More: Nadal Saves Match Point Subdues Medvedev
The match was a rematch of Nadal's epic five-set win over Medvedev in the US Open final.
It left the top seed thrilled, while feeling "very sorry" for the world No. 4.
"Today is one of these days that, as I said on the court, one time of one thousand you lose this match, and it happened today," Nadal told the media in London. "Very happy for that. Very sorry for him, honestly, because lose a match like this is tough, and it's painful. I feel very sorry for Daniil. He's a good guy, I think, and anyway, he should be very proud about all the things that he's doing."
Staring down match point at 1-5, Nadal admitted he was thinking of the post-match shower that awaited him.
"In that moment, what you think is probably in five minutes you are in the locker room, because that's the more normal thing," Nadal said. "I don't know. In that moment, you play with not much pressure because you are almost lost. I played a great point, and then I was able to save that game."
A daring drop shot denied the match point and helped Nadal hold for 2-5. That sparked the Spaniard through eight of the next 10 points setting the stage for his second straight break.
"Even with 5-2 is so difficult to think about comeback against a player like Daniil," Nadal said. "And especially in indoor. In clay, still you have more chances because normally you play more points. But here, you are in his hands.
"But at some point, with the 5-3, of course I started to believe, because being only one break away, why not? I need to be there. I need to create the moment and I need to put the pressure. I think I played a good game in the 5-2. I created that pressure on him. And then of course he made couple of mistakes, no? But I think I played a good tiebreak later, too."
Photo credit: Christopher Levy