Rafael Nadal refused to blame the pressure of the occasion after his semi-final loss to Daniil Medvedev at the Nitto ATP Finals on Saturday.
Nadal was aiming to win the season-ending event for the first time in his career, and seemed on his way to reaching the final when he won the first set and served for the match 5-4 in the second. But the Russian, who had a winning streak of eight games, turned the tables to win the second set in a tie-break and then the decisive one after two breaks.
Medvedev will now play US Open champion Dominic Thiem, who defeated top-ranked Novak Djokovic in an exciting three-set game in Saturday’s first semi-final.
After the match, Rafael Nadal was asked if the pressure of winning his first year-end championship, the only major title that has escaped him in his career, contributed to the unusual collapse in the second set. But the Spaniard believes that that was not a deciding factor, and that it was just one of those days when his game was not up to par.
“I think I managed enough not to find an excuse about the pressure,” Rafael Nadal said after the game. “I know I won enough games and enough tournaments in an even more difficult situation than this … So I don’t feel like that.”
Rafael Nadal did admit, however, that he had a good chance of reaching the final for the first time since 2013. The Spaniard regretted the mistakes he made in the 5-4 game of the second set and acknowledged that Medvedev raised his bar. in the right moment.
“In the second, a little bit the same story at the beginning, but at the end of the set I was playing a little better than him,” Nadal said. “And then at 5-4 I think he played a good game and I didn’t. I played a bad game. That’s it. But I had a great opportunity. I lost a great opportunity.”
“I feel like I played a bad game,” he added. “Of course you are nervous about winning the match. But no [only] me, everyone. [It] It is normal to have tension. I think he played good points and I made a couple of mistakes. Small details make a big difference. Just well done for him and not enough for me. “
I hope to be prepared to fight for the things I want to fight for in 2021: Rafael Nadal
Posted Nov 22 2020 at 12:11 PM IST
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