Nadal is very self-critical of his level of play in Bastad

Diego Jiménez Rubio | 21 Jul 2024 | 17.39

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Rafael Nadal leaves with some positives from his performance in the ATP 250 Bastad 2024, but among them is not the feeling on court with his tennis. After losing to Nuno Borges in the final, he appeared before the media visibly upset by his level of play and acknowledging that he has a lot to improve.

A born winner like Rafael Nadal will never settle for just reaching a final and winning more through experience than tennis, as he did this week in the ATP 250 Bastad 2024. He clearly expressed this in the press conference following his defeat in the final against Nuno Borges. While he admitted feeling very low on energy, his discontent with the displayed tennis extends throughout the week, something that may greatly concern the Spaniard.

- How he feels after losing in the final of ATP Bastad 2024

"I have a lot of experience and knew things weren't going to be easy. I just have to accept whatever comes and keep working to get better. I played very poorly and I'm sad about it; I find it hard to play worse than I did today. I felt empty of energy, which may be normal because I hadn't been competing for a long time over several consecutive days, and also had long and intense matches. Nuno deserved to win, he played much better than me," he stated.

- Assessment of his time at the Swedish tournament

"I tried to find solutions at all times, but the level was far from what I should have shown. It's important to me that my body withstood the demands of the week, but physically and mentally I ran out of energy for today. That may have been one of the reasons for my poor performance in the final, but I have many things to analyze," he said before elaborating further.

"I came here with very good sensations from my game in the training sessions, but I was unable to display it in the matches. I can't say I'm satisfied with my tennis because the level of play has been far from what I was showing in previous training sessions. I have to figure out why and try to fix it. I take away from here the message that I have to play much better tennis to be competitive, no excuses," he commented.

- Expectations for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

"I'm very excited to be part of the team of Olympic athletes and represent Spain. This is the most important event in sports; hopefully, I can find the necessary energy and have good training sessions. I know that if I manage to play good tennis at an individual level, I will also do so in doubles, but I must analyze well what happened this week and work hard. I'm convinced that Carlos Alcaraz will be at a high level because he comes with confidence. We will train together this week," said Rafael Nadal, who is already looking towards the immediate future.