MADRID: Rafael Nadal has admitted that he wasn’t good enough against Dominic Thiem in their latest meeting at the Madrid Open on Friday.
The current world No.1 slumped to a straight sets loss to the Austrian. Ending his run of 14 consecutive match wins and 50 consecutive sets claimed on the clay. During the encounter he almost hit three times more unforced errors than winners at 29-12. Resulting in the loss of his world No.1 ranking next week.
“This week he has been the toughest opponent.” Nadal said of Thiem. “There is no discussion about that. This is the reality. If he beats me three times in a row, maybe we can say he reads my game and can beat me. Today he was better than me, and that’s all.”
Trying to pinpoint the reason behind his downfall, Nadal has partly blamed the technical side of his game. As the match progressed, the length of his shots dropped from towards the baseline to the middle of the court. Enabling Thiem to be more aggressive during the rallies. Another issue for the Spaniard was his second serve, where he won just 11 out of 32 points (34%).
“I think that today I haven’t read the ball good enough to be able to handle the situation, to put him in places where he didn’t feel comfortable to play.” He evaluated.
“I was never in a good enough position to place the ball on the lines, to open the court. I wasn’t putting myself in position.
“It’s difficult to harm a player like him because he’s a very powerful player, he has a lot of strength, he strikes the ball very hard, very violently. When you receive that ball, it’s very difficult to respond.”
The setback comes during what has been a successful clay court campaign for the Spaniard. After being sidelined with a hip injury earlier in the year, he returned to the tour by winning back-to-back titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona prior to this week.
Despite the disappointment, Nadal is remaining upbeat about his current place on the tour. Set to dethroned by Federer in the coming days, he is confident that things are going in the right direction ahead of the French Open. Where he will be bidding to win the title for an historic 11th time.
“I think I placed myself in a good position more or less. I am 3 in the race (ATP Race To London) of the year, which is the most important thing. I still have two good weeks on clay, and then I’ll keep on moving forward. This is the reality.”
Continuing to play down the significance of losing the No.1 ranking, the 31-year-old insists that his health is more important. An unsurprising revelation for a player that has been blighted by wrist and knee issues in the past.
“I lost the No. 1 before, but what makes me happy is I feel fit, can compete with possibilities every single week. This is my final goal: to be happy. That’s what I’m working on.” Stated Nadal.
Nadal will travel to Italy next to play at the Rome Masters. Granted a bye in the first round, he will open his campaign against either Damir Dzumhur or Fernando Verdasco.
