"I want to finish with something important in my life, which is having my first son, and trust that everything will turn out well" - Rafael Nadal on reuniting with his pregnant wife after US Open loss
Rafael Nadal suffered a shock defeat at the 2022 US Open, losing to Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round. Coming into the contest with a 2-0 lead in the head-to-head against the American, Nadal was the immense favorite to reach the quarterfinals but fell in four sets after a rather poor display.
Although the Spaniard found his groove in the second set to level things up, Tiafoe upped the ante in the next two sets to find another level in his game and beat the 22-time Grand Slam champion 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in comprehensive fashion.
Speaking at his press conference afterward, the Mallorcan stressed that the last few months have been difficult for him, both physically due to his recurrent injuries and mentally due to the stress of his wife Maria Francisca Perello's ongoing pregnancy situation.
Rafa Nadal on his next move: "I need to go back. I need to fix things, life, then I don't know when I going to come back. I going to try to be ready mentally. When I feel that I will be ready to compete again, I will be there."
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Now that his tennis calendar has almost come to an end, the World No. 3 is glad to go home, reunite with his wife and wait patiently for the birth of their first son -- which is currently more important to him.
"It's been a few months a little difficult in every way, this is the reality. And from there [I want to], start again professionally speaking and, on a personal level, finish with something that is important in my life, which is having my first son and trust that everything will turn out well," Nadal said.
The former World No. 1 also refused to find any excuses for his loss, stating that he did not want to complain over how he could have won many other things in the past as well if things had gone his way.
"Well, we can make lamentations or we can complain now about a lot of things, but I don't think that going to change any situation, no? We can think, If I don't get injured. Maybe I win Wimbledon. Maybe I win another things on the past," Nadal said. "Or maybe I lost another things because I was not able to create this interior power after all that injuries, no?"
The 36-year-old shot back, saying that he has had many instances in his career where he has been lucky too, winning tournaments without any ideal preparation. With that being the case, the Spaniard doesn't reckon it is fair to find excuses for losses and distract from his opponent's superiority on that particular day.
"I mean, that's part of my career. A lot of times went the proper way; sometimes completely unexpected like Australia, like Roland Garros. Of course, this was not the ideal preparation for me," he said. "But in other cases went the right way, even with not the perfect preparation, no?"
Nadal at the presser: "I played a bad match. He played a good match. At the end... that's it. I was not able to keep the high level long enough, he took the ball too many times very early." https://t.co/QWEuIgbjmU
Being objectively critical like that is the only way to improve, according to Rafael Nadal, who promised to analyze this defeat when time permits and come back even stronger next time around.
"We can't find excuses. We need to be enough critic with myself," Nadal said. "That's the only way to improve or that's the only way that I understand you are able to find solutions."
"I have been practicing well the week before, honestly, but when the competition start, my level went down" - Rafael Nadal
During the press conference, Rafael Nadal further admitted that he practiced at a high level throughout the tournament, but for one reason or the other, he could not bring the same intensity during the matches. While the mental stress he has endured over the last couple of months has definitely played a key part, the Spaniard once again maintained that it was not an excuse he was willing to make.
"I have been practicing well the week before, honestly. But then when the competition start, my level went down," Nadal said. "That's the true. For some reason, I don't know, mental issues in terms of a lot of things happened the last couple of months. Maybe. But doesn't matter."
Nadal planning to go back to Spain to support his pregnant wife. Doesn't know when he will be back: "When I feel that I will be ready to compete again, I will be there." 🤞
Instead, the Mallorcan placed the reason for his loss solely on Frances Tiafoe's brilliance, adding that he was better than him in every way possible and that he deserved to be shown the door after the way he played against the American.
"At the end the only thing that happened is we went to the fourth round of the US Open and I faced a player that was better than me. And that's why I am having a plane back home," he said. "All the credit to him, without a doubt. That's the true. He did a lot of things well."
Also Checkout:- US Open 2022 Schedule