London, November 25, 2009

Rafa’s run at the ATP World Tour Finals has come to an end after a 6-1 7-6 (7-4) defeat against Nikolay Davydenko this evening in London.

Davydenko broke twice in the first set and was up a break twice in the second at a near sold-out O2 Arena. Rafa then bounced back, breaking back both times to carry some momentum going into the tiebreaker. However, Davydenko kept his cool and clinched it with a forehand winner on his first match point.

"I know Nadal always fights for every point and in the second set he started playing better and running better but the tie-break was good for me," said Davydenko about Rafa after the match.

Sadly, this defeat means that Rafa is now officially out of the tournament as his head-to-head record will be inferior to both Davyenko and Djokovic (who he plays in his last group match), regardless of how he does against the Serbian.

“To be out of the [Finals], well, that's sport and everything can happen,” said Rafa at the press conference. “I didn't arrive to this tournament with the full confidence that you need to win these matches. And in the moments that I had to play well, I didn't play well. I made mistakes. I fought a lot. Both matches I fought.  I tried my best all the time, but it wasn't enough to win these matches.”

“Today I think mentally I was better,” he reflected. “I played a terrible game at 5-5 in the second set. But the rest, I tried to do different things during the whole match, trying to play more aggressive with the forehand. That's important thing that I improved a little bit today. So just trying every day. Every day trying a little bit more.”

Rafa will return to Spain after his match against Djokovic and plans start training on clay as soon as he can so he can be ready for the Davis Cup Final. Looking ahead, the objective is to begin his preparation for next year’s campaign in the best possible way. “I have to keep working real hard to change the situation. It’s what I’ve known my whole life. Work hard.”

Vamos Rafa!