DPA/Rome
King of clay Rafael Nadal was searching for answers after being ushered out at the quarter-final stage of the Rome Masters by Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka.
The 7-6 (9-7), 6-2 result left Spain’s seven-time champion at the Foro Italico with much work to do in order to try and arrest his worst slide in form on the dirt in well over a decade.
Nadal, who has won Roland Garros in nine of the last 10 editions, now goes to Paris as a seventh seed and vulnerable in the early rounds to a possible upset.
But that kind of thinking does not play in the Spaniard’s tight-knit camp. Not for Nadal any second-guessing or deep analysis - it’s all about the hard yards on the practice court.
“The only thing that I am sure of is that I’m going to try in Paris like always,” said the 14-time grand slam winner after losing to the Swiss powerhouse who also beat him for the 2014 Australian Open title.
“Hopefully I’m able to continue for the next week, practising well, the way I have been, hitting the forehand the way I did.”
Nadal spent two frustrating hours in trying to fend off Wawrinka, whose own season has been nothing special after winning two titles out of the gate January and February.
Nadal insists he does not care about his lowly ranking in the grand slam which he has dominated in recent times.
“It’s true that I’m going to be ranked lower than ever, that will give me the chance to play against very tough opponents. But at the same time I have to be ready for every match.
“In every match I can lose, this year more than ever, but I think I am ready to accept the challenge.”
The philosophical player, who turns 29 next month, admits that failure in Paris is also a possibility.
“If I go to Roland Garros, and I lose, life continues - it’s not the end of the world.
“I’ve won so many times there ... and losing is part of life.
“I’ll fight again to have a good tournament. The only thing that can help is to continue to play the way that I’m playing and if I am playing that way, playing during the day in Roland Garros, the court is bigger, bounce are higher, I know the court ... I am sure that I can have good matches.
“I’ve had a lot of success at the French, being probably the main favourite every time, so I don’t know if I can have that success without being the main favourite.
“The only thing that I am thinking is trying to go there, have one week of good practice, and let’s try.
“All of the talk will not have an impact on what’s going to happen, the only thing that will have impact, is the way I will be ... ready to play.”
Rafael Nadal
