Monday, Sep 5, 2022. 10:10 PM
For his return to New York since his title in 2019, Rafael Nadal fell from a height: the Spaniard was eliminated on Monday in the round of 16 of the US Open by the American Frances Tiafoe who was able to take him up to speed.
In the absence of Novak Djokovic, banned from entering the territory of the United States because not vaccinated against Covid, world No. 2 Alexander Zverev, who is recovering from a right ankle injury, and after the elimination World No. 1 and defending champion Daniil Medvedev on Sunday, the Mallorcan was favorite to clinch a fifth Major at Flushing Meadows and take his record of Grand Slam titles to 23.
But he fell on a Tiafoe (26th in the world) who played the match of his life when he himself regretted not having been able to play his best tennis.
“He played well, he did a lot of things very well. For my part, I had my chances, and if I want to be in the quarters, I have to play better than that, ”said the 36-year-old Spaniard.
Asked how he saw the rest of his season, Nadal did not take a detour.
“I need to go home, the last few months have been difficult. I have more important things than tennis to settle. And then the decisions will be made according to how things are going in my personal life, which comes before my professional life,” said Nadal, whose wife is expecting a child.
“I’m going to do a mini-preparation to try to end the year in Europe with a good feeling. There are still tournaments to come if all goes well. I don’t know when I’ll be back, but when I feel like I’m mentally ready to start competing again, I’ll be there. »
During the match, Nadal only converted two of the six break points he got when Tiafoe won five of eight. He still gave credit to Tiafoe for her excellent performance.
“You have to be ready to seize the opportunities that present themselves. And I couldn’t. He knew how to do it, he played with the right determination,” he added.
Nadal also refused to use his recent injuries as an excuse to explain his poor performance.
“You can always complain, but I don’t think that changes anything in the situation. Do not look for excuses, but be sufficiently critical with yourself. It’s the only way to improve. It’s the only way I know to find solutions. I did what I could, but things didn’t work out the way I wanted. I trained well, however, the week before the tournament. But when the competition started, my level dropped. It’s the truth. For some reason. I don’t know… mental issues, since a lot has happened in the last two months. »