"Incredible!" Rafael Nadal heaps praise on Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner after "best Roland Garros final ever"

Though the match didn't go his way, Rafael Nadal pulled out all the stops against Dominic Thiem on Tuesday in London. That meant saving three match points and whipping out a tweener lob while serving at 4-5 in the second set:

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Tweener lobs should be tweeted, right? They're not called Fleener lobs. @RafaelNadal held earlier for 5-5 after saving three match points. Nadal and @ThiemDomi are set to begin their second tiebreaker of the day. #NittoATPFinals scores: https://t.co/Wd83pemvJ2 pic.twitter.com/SngIKSioLF
— TENNIS (@Tennis) November 17, 2020

"Had been a great match of tennis despite a few small details," Nadal said. "Just well done to him. He played I think an amazing match and I played well, too. My feeling is not negative."

Thiem would ultimately win the match, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (4), improving to 6-9 against the Spaniard. The world was impressed by their level of play:

Wow terrific stuff from Dominic Thiem to beat Rafael Nadal in two breakers at the #ATPFinals.

Nadal blinked at times, but excellent fortitude from Domi, who's now 2-0 in group play in London. Looks determined to close out 2020 on a high
— Nick McCarvel (@NickMcCarvel) November 17, 2020

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Thiem 7-6, 7-6 Nadal

When a scoreline alone does not do a match justice.
— David Law (@DavidLawTennis) November 17, 2020

This is the kind of match you hope for in a showcase tournament with the best 8 players in the world.
— Matthew Willis (@mattracquet) November 17, 2020

Tennis nearer the gods!!! @primevideouk
Thanks for that @ThiemDomi and @RafaelNadal 👏 👏
— Rob Koenig (@RobKoenigTennis) November 17, 2020

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Thiem improves to 2-0 in the Group London 2020 after topping Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday. Nadal is 1-1 after his own Sunday win over Andrey Rublev.

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