After losing to Norway’s Casper Ruud to open his first ATP Finals appearance, Auger-Aliassime regained his red-hot late-season form with a 6-3, 6-4 win over top-seeded Rafael Nadal in the round. – robin game “I wasn’t sure if I would be here one day or if I could only dream about it,” Auger-Aliassime said of beating the Spanish legend for the first time. “The age difference is huge, and it shows how much of a champion he is and what an example he is, because he’s still here at 36, fighting guys in their 20s. He’s a great champion and has a great attitude.” Auger-Aliassime, fifth in the season-ending men’s championship, used his dominant serve to wear down Nadal. The 22-year-old Canadian was good on 81 per cent of his first-serve points and fired 15 aces, including one on his opening point to set the tone. WATCHES | Auger-Aliassime takes down the top seed in straight sets:
Auger-Aliassime takes down Nadal for 1st ATP Finals win
Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime (1-1) beat Spain’s Rafael Nadal (0-2) 6-3, 6-4 to earn his first win at the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy. Auger-Aliassime took advantage of an uncharacteristically relaxed game from Nadal to break in Game 8 of the first set. Leading 40-love, Nadal committed two consecutive double faults to give Auger-Aliassime a lifeline. Nadal rallied to take advantage after Auger-Aliassime leveled at 40-all, but the Canadian took three straight crucial points to open up a 5-3 lead in the first set. Serving for the set, Auger-Aliassime held with little trouble to go up 1-0. Auger-Aliassime pressured Nadal early in the second set, breaking to go up 2-1. The two traded forehands for the rest of the match, with Auger-Aliassime winning his first service game when Nadal sent a return into the net. The win evens Auger-Aliassime’s record at 1-1 after the Canadian lost Sunday’s opener 7-6 (4), 6-4 to Ruud. Nadal, meanwhile, falls to 0-2 with one match remaining in pool play.
“I’ll be ready for Taylor in 2 days”
Auger-Aliassime will next meet eighth-seeded American Taylor Fritz, who was due to meet Rudd later on Tuesday. Nadal will be eliminated from the tournament if Fritz falls to the 23-year-old Norwegian. “I’ve got one win, one loss now. If I can get two wins, hopefully I can, so let’s see how it goes,” Auger-Aliassime said. “They’re going to play it tonight and I’ll be ready for Taylor in two days. It’s not going to be easy. He’s been playing really well this year and these conditions are perfect for him.” It was the Montreal native’s first career win over the 22-time Grand Slam champion. Nadal had beaten Auger-Aliassime twice before, including a grueling five-set decision at the French Open in May. Auger-Aliassime won his way to Turin on an impressive 16-match winning streak, winning three of the final four ATP Tour events of the year. It’s special to play Rafa with Toni here, but at the same time we are competitors.— Auger-Aliassim on his coach Toni Nadal, Rafael’s uncle and former coach During that run he claimed titles in Florence, Antwerp and Basel and earlier in the season won in Rotterdam. Auger-Aliassime racked up a personal-best 56 wins this season, moving him to a career-high No. 6 in the world rankings. The Canadian credits his coach Toni Nadal, uncle and former coach of Rafael Nadal, for his recent success. “He helped me a lot. I have a lot of respect for him and his family. It’s special to play Rafa with Toni here, but at the same time we’re competitors and we try our best,” Auger said. -Aliasime. Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., is the only other Canadian to ever advance to the ATP Tour World Finals, having played in the event in 2014 and 2016. Raonic lost in the semifinals in 2016 and lost both of his matches in 2014 .
Was Djokovic’s visa ban overturned?
Meanwhile, a year after Novak Djokovic was deported from Australia for not having been vaccinated against COVID-19, the 21-time Grand Slam champion is set to receive a visa to enter the country so he can compete at the Australian Open in January . Australian Broadcasting Corp. said on Tuesday that he confirmed newspaper reports that the immigration minister would set aside a potential three-year entry ban that Djokovic, a 35-year-old from Serbia, had faced as a foreign national whose visa was revoked. The Australian Border Force previously explained that the blocking period could be lifted in some cases — and that each case would be assessed on its own merits. Immigration Minister Andrew Giles’ office declined to comment on privacy grounds. Novak Djokovic has been denied the chance to defend his Australian Open title in 2022 after his visa was revoked, but is allowed to try to claim it again in 2023. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images) Djokovic’s representatives did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment. He is currently at the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy, where he won his opening match on Monday against Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 7-6 (4), and is scheduled to play — and speak to the media — on Wednesday against Andrei Rublev. After Monday’s win, Djokovic indicated his lawyers were in contact with the Australian government with a view to allowing him to compete at the Australian Open, which runs from January 16 to 29. The nine-time Australian Open champion was not allowed to challenge for a 10th title at Melbourne Park after a tumultuous 10-day legal saga earlier this year over his COVID-19 vaccination status that culminated in his visa being revoked on eve of the tournament. . Djokovic arrived at Melbourne airport as the world’s top tennis player on a visa he obtained online and believed to be a valid medical exemption from the country’s strict laws on unvaccinated travelers because he had been approved by Tennis Australia and its government State of Victoria, which hosts the tournament. Confusion reigned, making global headlines. As it turned out, that medical exemption allowed him entry to the tournament, which required all players, fans and officials to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, but not necessarily to enter the country. It was rejected by the Australian Border Force. Alex Hawke, Australia’s immigration minister at the time, used discretionary powers to cancel Djokovic’s visa on character grounds, saying he was a “talisman of a community of anti-vaccination sentiment”. Australia has changed government since then and changed its border rules this year. As of July, inbound travelers no longer need to provide proof that they are receiving shots against COVID-19. That removed a major barrier to entry for Djokovic, who says he has not – and will not – be vaccinated against the coronavirus, even if it means missing major tennis tournaments. Indeed, he participated in the US Open in September and other events in the United States because he could not fly into the country as an unvaccinated foreign citizen. He was allowed to play in the French Open, where he lost in the quarterfinals, and Wimbledon, which he won. “I have no regrets. I mean, I feel sad that I couldn’t play [at the U.S. Open]but that was a decision I made and I knew what the consequences would be,” Djokovic said in September at the Laver Cup in London. “So I accepted them and that’s it.” Djokovic has spent more weeks at No. 1 in the ATP rankings than anyone else, breaking Roger Federer’s record, and is currently No. 8, partly due to a lack of activity and partly because no ranking points were awarded to anyone at Wimbledon this year. The changes in Australia allowed Djokovic to apply to Giles to review his visa status. In Djokovic’s favor were two other factors: He quickly left Australia after his visa was revoked 10 months ago, and he has not publicly criticized Australian authorities. As the Home Office website explains, applicants under Djokovic must explain in writing why the ban should be set aside, saying: “You must show us that there are compassionate or compelling circumstances to set aside the re-entry ban and grant you the visa”. For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians – from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community – check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here. (CBC)
