Rafael Nadal said he missed an opportunity to claim a title at the start of the clay tennis season, after losing 6-2 4-6 6-2 to Russian Andrei Rublev in the quarter-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters Championship on Friday.
Nadal played his first championship since losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals at the Australian Open, and the 20 Grand Slam champion suffered only a sixth loss in the tournament, which he won 11 times.
The Spanish player told reporters: “It is an important tournament in my career and I always feel sad when I lose here because it is important to me and I missed the opportunity to start the clay court championships season in an appropriate manner.”
He added: “But this is not the time to complain, and the only thing I can do is go to Barcelona and continue training and try to control the situation and address the many mistakes.”
He continued: “A few things can make big differences in today’s result,” according to “Reuters”.
Roblev said his first win over Nadal was among the best of his career, but he realized his opponent was not up to par.
He continued, “If we talk about (Rafa), he is the best player on clay in history, and this is one of my best victories.”
He added, “But on the other hand, he definitely did not play at his known good level, and when he is in his condition it is difficult to play against him and expect victory.”