"I was doubtful the 11 years I have been playing here, I won 9; doubts are good" - When Rafael Nadal spoke on shock French Open loss to Novak Djokovic
Rafael Nadal once candidly discussed his surprise defeat to his arch-rival Novak Djokovic in the French Open quarterfinals.
Fittingly dubbed the 'King of Clay,' Nadal has dominated at the French Open, triumphing in his first appearance at the Major in 2005. Subsequently, he recorded four consecutive wins before suffering an unexpected loss to Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009.
However, the Spaniard bounced back strongly, asserting his supremacy in Paris with consecutive triumphs from 2010 to 2014. Entering the 2015 French Open as the five-time defending champion, he breezed to the quarterfinals to set up a blockbuster showdown against Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic, though, claimed a commanding 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 win, ending the Spaniard's remarkable 39-match win streak at Roland Garros and handing him a defeat on his 29th birthday.
Following the loss, Rafael Nadal was asked whether he was doubtful about his chances heading into the clash. However, the Spaniard said that he had harbored doubts in all 11 of his French Open appearances and yet emerged victorious on all but two occasions.
"I was doubtful about myself the 11 years that I have been playing here. I won nine and I lost twice. Doubts are good in life," he said in his post-match press conference.
"Some days things are better. Some days things are worse. When you play against an opponent that is winning almost every match like Novak and you are not playing enough consistently during the whole match, then is an option that this thing can happen," he added.
He also analyzed his loss to the Serb, expressing disappointment with his subpar performances in the first and third sets.
"Not happy about my first set, obviously. The second, yes. I was there. I lost a game. That's it. Good fight in the first. Good fight in the second. In the third, I am not happy about the way, but I tried," he said.
"I lost against the best" - Rafael Nadal on losing to Novak Djokovic in 2015 French Open QF
Rafael Nadal went on to deny that losing to Novak Djokovic, who was the best player in the world at the time, lessened the pain of the defeat.
"As I said every year when I won here, the only thing that makes me happy is have the trophy with me. Doesn't matter the opponent. Important thing is the victory and the title," he said in the same press conference.
"Today I lost quarterfinals of Roland Garros. Is true that I lost against the best today, but that's it. I lost in quarterfinals. At the end of the day, that's it," he added.
The Spaniard also asserted that Djokovic was in the best phase of his career and expressed confidence in the Serb's chances to triumph at the French Open.
"Well, he has to win two more matches, but this match only increase the confidence. He's probably in the best moment of his career. He has a good chance to win here," he said.
However, Nadal's prediction did not materialize, as Stan Wawrinka beat Djokovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in the 2015 French Open final to clinch his second Grand Slam title.