“It’s about time,” Rafael Nadal reflects on the importance of ‘timing’ after a humiliating loss against Taylor Fritz at the ATP Finals


“It’s about time,” Rafael Nadal reflects on the importance of ‘timing’ after a humiliating loss against Taylor Fritz at the ATP Finals

Rafael Nadal (IMAGO / IP3press)

Spanish maestro Rafael Nadal suffered a humiliating loss at the hands of Taylor Fritz in the opening match of the ATP Finals. Nadal lost the match in straight sets 6-7(3),1-6 which was his third consecutive defeat. He hasn’t won a match since losing in the fourth round of the US Open and as of now, looks terribly out of form.

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Against Fritz, Nadal looked very slow on the court- both in his hitting abilities and decision-making. He addressed the issue in the post-match press conference and discussed the importance of time in tennis. He turned philosophical and said that everything was going very fast for him and he had less time than Fritz.

“It’s about time,” Nadal said at his post-match press conference. “Tennis and the sport in general, it’s about time. I have less time than him to do what I want to do on the ball. I felt that everything was going so fast. When that happens, normally you are under stress, and you don’t have the time to play the kind of shot that you want.”

Rafael Nadal speaks on his shocking form at Turin

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal (IMAGO / IP3press)

Nadal then analyzed the match and talked about where he went wrong. He said that he played too defensively and let Fritz take all the control. He clarified that although he is physically fit, it is difficult for him to play against the top players right from the word go after coming back from an injury.

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“In most of the points of the match, I was in a defensive position, and he was in an offensive position. That’s what happened… But every single time I came back from injury, [it’s not normal] playing against top players [from] the first day. That’s what happens when you are coming back playing Masters 1000s and [the ATP Finals],” Nadal said.

Nadal will now have to win both of his remaining group stage matches ideally to qualify for the knockouts. He will face Felix Auger-Aliassime on Tuesday and will then be up against Casper Ruud on Thursday.

Also Read: “Claydal running away from Djokovic once again” Rafael Nadal gets hammered on social media after his lopsided performance against Taylor Fritz in Turin opener

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