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Nadal Ready 'to Die' to Return to his Tennis Peak

Spain's Rafael Nadal practices in the lead-up to the 2022 Australian Open tennis tournament at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, January 3, 2022. REUTERS/Loren Elliott
Spain's Rafael Nadal practices in the lead-up to the 2022 Australian Open tennis tournament at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, January 3, 2022. REUTERS/Loren Elliott
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Nadal Ready 'to Die' to Return to his Tennis Peak

Spain's Rafael Nadal practices in the lead-up to the 2022 Australian Open tennis tournament at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, January 3, 2022. REUTERS/Loren Elliott
Spain's Rafael Nadal practices in the lead-up to the 2022 Australian Open tennis tournament at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, January 3, 2022. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

Rafael Nadal says he is "going to die" trying to return to the level of tennis that saw him capture a record 22 Grand Slam singles titles after his hopes of a first-ever ATP Finals title and becoming year end world number one were extinguished on Tuesday.

The 36-year-old Spaniard fell 6-3, 6-4 to Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime in Turin to follow up on a defeat by Taylor Fritz on Sunday.

To stay alive in the finals, Nadal needed Fritz to beat Casper Ruud in straight sets on Tuesday.

But when Ruud won a set against Fritz, it meant a sharp exit for Nadal and also that his teenage compatriot, US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz, would finish the year as the top-ranked male player.

Ruud went on to beat Fritz 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (8/6) to book himself a semi-final berth, while Fritz plays off with Auger-Aliassime on Thursday to determine which player goes through to the last four.

Nadal needed to win the year-end title for the first time in his trophy-laden career to have a chance of preventing Alcaraz from finishing number one, AFP reported.

"I mean, I don't think I forget how to play tennis, how to be strong enough mentally," said Nadal, who was playing in just his third singles match since the US Open in September.

"I just need to recover all these positive feelings and all this confidence and all this strong mentality that I need to be at the level that I want to be.

"And I don't know if I am going to reach that level again. But what I don't have any doubt, that I going to die for it."

Nadal -- who has nevertheless won the Australian Open and French Open this year -- praised 19-year-old Alcaraz, who is not able to play in Turin due to an abdominal injury.

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Brazil Sets Up Olympic Final Against US in Women’s Soccer

Brazil's Gabi Portilho, center, and Gabi Nunes celebrate their team's 4-2 victory over Spain at the end of a women's semifinal soccer match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, at Marseille Stadium in Marseille, France. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Brazil's Gabi Portilho, center, and Gabi Nunes celebrate their team's 4-2 victory over Spain at the end of a women's semifinal soccer match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, at Marseille Stadium in Marseille, France. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
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Brazil Sets Up Olympic Final Against US in Women’s Soccer

Brazil's Gabi Portilho, center, and Gabi Nunes celebrate their team's 4-2 victory over Spain at the end of a women's semifinal soccer match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, at Marseille Stadium in Marseille, France. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Brazil's Gabi Portilho, center, and Gabi Nunes celebrate their team's 4-2 victory over Spain at the end of a women's semifinal soccer match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, at Marseille Stadium in Marseille, France. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Brazil will meet the United States in the final of the Olympic women’s soccer tournament after beating world champion Spain 4-2 on Tuesday.
Gabi Portilho, Adriana and Kerolin struck in a thrilling semifinal at Stade de Marseille after an own-goal from Irene Paredes had put the two-time silver medalist in front.
“It’s a dream, and dreams come true,” said Kerolin, whose goal in the first of more than 15 minutes of stoppage time helped to hold off a late Spain fightback. “I’m so excited, so excited, so excited and I’m really, really, really impressed by my teammates.”
Victory means Brazil great Marta has the chance to end her glittering international career by competing for gold after being suspended for the quarterfinals and semifinals.
The 38-year-old Marta has said her sixth Olympics will be her last major tournament with the national team.
“We just knew what we came to do today, and it was a final for us today,” said Angelina, who was leading the Brazil team. “So, we were just very determined and we just came for the win.”
According to The Associated Press, Angelina said the Brazil squad needed to “celebrate a little bit” but quickly focus on the final.
“It was a big win. Again, Spain is an amazing team and we knew that,” she said. “So now we need to rest and we need to study a lot, and see what we can do against the US.”
Spain won’t get the chance in Paris to further cement its place at the top of women’s soccer by adding Olympic gold to the World Cup it won last year.
But there’s plenty still to play for at the Paris Games.
“We keep fighting for something super nice and it will continue to be the Olympics until the end,” Spain forward Jennifer Hermoso said. “A bronze medal is also very difficult to get.”
Paredes’ sixth-minute own goal put Brazil in control and Portilho doubled the advantage in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time.
Adriana’s header in the 71st underlined Brazil’s dominance. But with the win seemingly assured, there was far more drama to come.
Salma Paralluelo pulled a goal back for Spain with a header in the 85th and almost immediately Alexia Putellas struck the bar with a shot from outside the area.
Kerolin made it 4-1 — shooting through Spain goalkeeper Cata Coll’s legs.
Paralluelo got her second in the 12th minute of stoppage time, but by then it was too late for Spain to mount a comeback.
Brazil will play the four-time champion US women’s national team in Saturday’s final at Parc des Princes in Paris.
Spain plays Germany in Lyon for bronze.
Brazil has been twice beaten in an Olympic final by the US — at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.
It secured a place in the final for the third time after making amends for a 2-0 loss to Spain in the group phase of the tournament.
That was a game that also saw Marta red-carded, and Brazil received confirmation just hours before kickoff in the semifinals that its appeal against her ban had been rejected.
In the end, Brazil didn’t need its greatest player on this occasion and took a big step toward the final early on after a calamitous mix up in Spain’s defense when Coll - under pressure from Priscila - attempted a clearance that came back off Paredes and into her own net.
Brazil dominated the chances - repeatedly getting through on goal - and made its superiority count just before halftime through Portilho, who slotted into the bottom corner from Yasmim’s cross.
Adriana made it 3-0 after seeing her initial effort hit the bar from six yards and then heading in from Portilho’s nod back across goal.
Spain, which had fought back from 2-0 down to beat Colombia in the quarterfinals, gave its fans hope through Paralluelo’s header. But when Kerolin put Brazil 4-1 ahead, a second for Paralluelo proved to be nothing more than a consolation.
“We showed the world that we have a young team and a team that has a very good tactical understanding, that competes, that will always be like this — competitive,” Brazil coach Arthur Elias said. “Brazil in women’s football is a source of great pride.”