Rafa Nadal bid farewell to the United Cup on Monday with another loss. This time it was Alex de Miñaur who succeeded in a difficult game in which the Spaniard was not successful in the important moments.
“In the second set, with set and break up, I think I had chances to win every game after the break, up to 5-1 and even 6-1, but I lost six games in a row. This can’t happen to me. Then there were some good points in the third moto, but again I made a mistake. I just need to keep fighting and find my rhythm,” he admitted after the game.
“What made the difference was that he played better than me in the important moments.. I had chances in the match, but I made serious mistakes at times that you cannot comment on, at least if you want to win these kinds of matches” he added.
Nadal positively appreciates the fact of being close to six hours on the track between games against Cameron Norrie and Alex de Minaur. “I need more, I need more fights like this. I haven’t played many official matches in the last 6-7 months. Days like this help, even victories make the process go faster, but I have to keep fighting. At times I played a good level of tennis, especially with the backhand and changing direction with the forehand. Putting everything into perspective, I knew the conditions weren’t ideal for me, the ball was dead today, it didn’t help the spin much.. Players who pay more flat have more options, although this is not a reason, now I can play good tennis but not enough,” he explained.
Regarding his feelings for the Australian Open, Nadal said he doesn’t like to compare. “Every year and every situation is different, so I don’t care. You never know what could happen, because a year ago at this time it seemed impossible to imagine what happened next.Now it seems unlikely to happen again. I will work hard in these two weeks to improve physically, I will play some sets and practice against the boys, which will help me to be consistent. I am not too alarmed or negative about what happened, there was a very real chance of losing these two games, last year I also lost in Abu Dhabi. I have an important space to improve, I think I can achieve it, here I am very close to beating two good players”.
Among the positive aspects of this start of the season is his fitness, which so far has not given him any problems. “Physically I haven’t been bad, but I need to be faster, a bit more dynamic on the court to read the ball better, it gives you confidence, in addition to track times playing matches. In terms of physical problems I can’t complain, so for that part I’m happy” he concluded.
Source: La Verdad
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