Rafael Nadal admitted his fitness level was far below that of the tour’s top players after falling in straight sets to fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday, who described the exhibition match as “a bit sad”.
Nadal, 38, who announced last week that he would retire from tennis after the Davis Cup final in Malaga next month, lost 6-3, 6-3 to Alcaraz, 21, in the semi-final of the “Six Kings Slam Event” in Saudi Arabia.
He then described Alcaraz, winner of this year’s French Open and Wimbledon, as an “animal” and admitted he was not competing at the highest level.
“I don’t have a lot of pressure here. I’m just trying to have fun,” he said in a post-match press conference.
“I know I’m going to play against players who…are in much better shape than me because they’re on the professional circuit and winning tournaments.”
Alcaraz said he knew the Saudi public was against him, but wanted to let Nadal, winner of 22 Grand Slams, including 14 French Open titles, enjoy their support.
“It’s a little sad… It wasn’t a really comfortable moment for me. Obviously I really wanted to win,” Alcaraz said.
“Once you step on the field, there are no friends, no idols,” but “I think it’s his time right now,” he added.
Before Thursday’s match, Nadal made his final singles appearance at the Paris Olympics where his campaign was halted by his old rival Novak Djokovic in the second round.
He also teamed with Alcaraz in the men’s doubles at the Games and could reprise that role in the Davis Cup final.
Nadal will face Djokovic again on Saturday after the Serbian great lost a much closer match to Australian Open and US Open champion Jannik Sinner, who won 6-2, 6-7 ( 0/7), 6-4 and will face Alcaraz in the final.
“Having Novak in front is like nostalgia,” Nadal said, ahead of their battle for third place in the Saudi exhibition.
“We’ve played each other a few times, so it’s going to be a lot of fun to play each other in this game again.”
As for next month’s Davis Cup final, Nadal said he wasn’t sure what his form would be.
“Emotionally, I’m sure I’ll be ready. Physically, tennis-wise, I mean (there’s) a month left” to prepare, he said, adding that he wouldn’t hesitate to speaking out if he thought he couldn’t compete well in singles.
RCB/DJ
