MADRID, 18 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal has assured that it is “simple” to accept his defeat in his debut at the Cincinnati tournament, the seventh Masters 1,000 of the season, against the Croatian Borna Coric (7-6(9), 4-6, 6- 3), since he was returning after a period of a month and a half of injury, and has stated that he must “look ahead” and focus on the next US Open.
“Obviously I haven’t played my best match. It’s something that can happen. Traditionally this tournament has been difficult for me. So coming back after a tough period, it’s easy to accept and it’s easy to congratulate Borna, he has played better,” he said at a press conference.
In this sense, he stated that it is “complicated” to get “positive readings.” “I need to improve and I need to train. I have to return better. I need days on the court, that’s the reality. Obviously I had my options at the beginning; in the tiebreak I had two important chances with the two set points, but I played a couple of more or less simple shots very badly,” he said.
In this sense, the Spaniard recalled that he made “a couple of terrible shots” after having placed 0-30 at the beginning of the third set, in addition to inviting to “look forward”. “I know the way. The main thing for me is to be healthy. It has been a difficult injury to manage, to be honest,” he stressed.
“The last month and a half has not been easy, because having a tear in the abdominal does not know when you will be 100% recovered. That affects in the sense of not knowing if you will be able to go to the maximum in each serve,” he continued.
Finally, Nadal explained that he is now focused on the next US Open, the last ‘Grand Slam’ of the season. “I need to look ahead and start thinking about the energy that the stands give me in New York. It’s a very special place for me and I enjoy it. I’ve lived unforgettable moments there and I’m going to do my best every day to arrive prepared,” he concluded. .