Australian Open: Rafael Nadal - "I'm not the type who looks for excuses"
The preparation for the Australian Open went anything but according to plan forRafael Nadal . Nevertheless, the Spaniard did not want to resort to excuses after his five-set defeat against Stefanos Tsitsipas .
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Feb 17, 2021, 04:57 pm
2012, 2014 and 2017 - these were the seasons in which Rafael Nadal had the best chance of a second title in Melbourne after his triumph in 2009 at the Australian Open. Both in 2012 and five years later, the Mallorcan led against Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer with a break in the fifth set, but both times the Spaniard snuck out of the field as a loser. In 2014, Nadal, plagued by back problems, had to congratulate Stan Wawrinka on his first Grand Slam title.
On February 17, 2021, another bitter chapter in the relationship between Nadal and the Australian Open was added: The 34-year-old was already ahead of Stefanos Tsitsipas 6: 3 and 6: 2 in the quarter-finals, but in the end the world number two had another suffer painful defeat in Melbourne.
Nadal praises Tsitsipas
Only for the third time in his career did Nadal gamble away a 2-0 set lead, but the 20-time Grand Slam winner did not want to flee to excuses despite the preparation that was impaired by back problems : "We can look for excuses or reasons - or maybe those Quarantine, which meant I spent more time than usual in our rooms. Maybe, yes. But I'm not the type of guy who makes excuses or complains about what happened. "
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"You have to accept that. I've never seen myself as an unhappy person - no matter what injuries I had. I think I'm a very happy person," said the 34-year-old, who threw roses on his opponent after his brilliant performance . Tsitsipas played at a very high level, especially in sets four and five, and was probably the better player in the decisive moments, said Nadal.
Nadal satisfied with attitude
He would only be really annoyed about the missed opportunities in the tie-break of the third round, in which Nadal missed two overheads and a light forehand. Otherwise he was satisfied with his performance: "I think that I stayed positive throughout the match and fought. And that was not enough."
Now it is time to prepare for the upcoming tournaments at home. "The only thing I can do is keep going. Despite the challenges, in the quarter-finals with a 2-0 set lead I got myself into position to be close to the semi-finals. So it's a lost chance, but this Life goes on. I hope I have more options. I will fight for it. "
Here is the men's single tableau at the Australian Open
laver arena