3rd of April

For Rafa Nadal, yesterday’s quarter-final marathon against Juan Martin del Potro at the Masters Series Tournament in Miami “was a complete disaster” that he will never forget, however, with time and a bit of luck, it will be easier to see the positive side of it.

“The match was amazing for those who were watching it, but for me it was a catastrophe. I had the match in my hands and now, I have no excuses, that’s the honest truth”, said Rafa to the world media at a press conference.

During the interview,  Rafa lamented all the opportunities he wasn’t able to take advantage of: “I simply played real bad,  I wasn’t at the top of my game, and for me it was especially difficult after losing a 3-0 advantage… it’s not something that happens to me normally”.

At the same time however, Rafa is also aware of the fact that ‘you can lose any day’ and that is why the Australian Open champion was quick to recognize his opponent’s titanic effort “If I would have won, it would have been unfair because he played better than me”, then he continued, “He’s the number 7 in the world, he’s simply an excellent player”, confessed the world number one.

The good news for everyone is that the start of the clay court season is just around the corner. Rafa’s favourite time of the year will begin at the Monte Carlo Master Series, on April 13th. “The beginning of the clay season is a great motivation for me and I feel very happy to go back there and do the best I can”, finished Rafa Nadal.