The Spanish Rafael Nadal declared this Sunday after the defeat against the American taylor fritz (7-6 (3) and 6-1) at the ATP Finals in Turin, losing with “all the margin of error” for the next two games, especially for the next game, where the loss was almost -leaving him in this tournament that was choking him.
“I lost all the margin of error, and at this point a victory was important. I have another option and I’m going to give everything I have. It’s also true that we’re worse than a few hours ago. It’s time to train do well tomorrow and be ready to play with determination on Tuesday. Now I have to accept that no matter how well you train, the competition is different,” Nadal said in a press conference after his third straight loss, three matches to the Americans (Tiafoe, Paul and Fritz).
He will now face the Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassimeone of the revelations of the season, trained by his uncle and mentor Toni Nadal and also lost in his debut, against Norwegian Casper Ruud: “It’s a complicated match, whoever loses will almost certainly leave. I have to do it well, he finished the season on a good level”.
The man from Manacor, who started as the first seed in Italy, was unable to cope with Fritz’s serve and strong forehands on a hard, covered court where the ball does not bounce much and where the impact is diluted, something that often Nadal never took advantage. him.
“It’s a matter of time. I’ve had less time than my rival to do things. Most of the game I was defending and he was attacking, and it’s complicated because you have to be very quick with your mind and legs,” he explained.
“I can fail less in important moments, things that to achieve them you need your head to be sharper and in that sense, in any sport, time is the key to success and when one is on the court and everything happens so fast is complicated. And more than the players who do that, things are more”, it had an effect.
Nadal also emphasized how difficult it is to return to the ring after an injury in a difficult tournament, where you first face high-level players: “It’s not the perfect tournament for a round, you have a great that rival”.
“You need wins to improve and that is difficult in this tournament, because you are facing the best players. We can find different ways to explain today, but Fritz played very well, I cannot handle his balls. When someone serves like that it is very difficult”, he appreciated.
And he gave an example australia tomorrowwhere he started to sow doubts and ended up winning: “In Australia I had the opportunity to beat slightly weaker rivals and I gained confidence. We are now where we are and there is no other choice but to continue working”
Nadal admitted that what “angered” him the most in his performance was the “second break of the second set”:. “I accept the rest, but that bothers me, it is the result of not valuing the situation one hundred percent.”
“Things were too fast for me, I didn’t have time to think and change the dynamics. I made a good comeback but then I made a mistake, the result of the speed that made me play and the lack of self-confidence. . In these courts don’t have many opportunities, everyone serves very well and everything happens very quickly,” he said.
However, despite the defeat and the complicated situation, Nadal is positive about his work so far in training.
“You have to be prepared, life and sport give you opportunities when you least expect it. I’m doing quite well in training. I come here aiming for the best. That I’m training well is positive. It’s the first base to recover the level that gives me the opportunity to fight for the things that are important to me in my career”, he sentence.
Source: La Verdad
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
