Rafael Nadal becomes fourth player to reach 1,000 career wins

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

 

Rafael Nadal cruised past Feliciano Lopez, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, in the Paris Masters Round of 32 and became the fourth player in the history of men’s tennis to score 1,000-career match wins.

The king of clay joined Jimmy Connors (1,274), Roger Federer (1,242) and Ivan Lendl (1068) as the only men’s tennis players to reach the historic mark.

“I know it is a very special number, one thousand. Even if it’s not the same to celebrate something like this without a crowd,” Nadal said after his victory against Lopez.

Nadal was honored with his 1000th career win milestone in an empty stadium due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Spanish superstar just missed the presence of the tennis fans.

“The real feeling, the personal feeling is completely different. It makes a big difference that the court is empty,” Nadal added.

However, despite joining the elite company of Connors, Federer, and Lendl, Nadal’s main focus as of now is to win the Paris Masters and go as far as clinching the title.

“I started the match the worst way possible, especially against a big server like Feli. After that I played under a lot of pressure the rest of the match, but I found a way,” Nadal on his thoughts regarding his performance against Lopez.