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Nadal pledges ‘hard work’ after fresh loss
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RAFAEL Nadal has vowed he will put in more hard work in a bid to get his game back to the level where he can win more tournaments.
The 29-year-old Spaniard endured another frustrating defeat late on Saturday when he lost a marathon semifinal in the Rio de Janeiro Open to 45th-ranked Pablo Cuevas 7-6 (6), 6-7 (3), 4-6.
It was just the second time since 2005 that Nadal has lost to a player ranked outside the world top 30 on clay
That loss came just a week after he lost in the semifinal of the Argentina Open in three sets to Austria’s Dominic Thiem, also on clay. Fifth-seeded Thiem, meanwhile, fell 1-6, 4-6 to Argentina’s 71st-ranked Guido Pella in the last four.
Nadal had travelled to South America following his first-round loss at the Australian Open in a bid to reverse, on his favorite claycourt surface, the form loss that has seen his world ranking slump.
But the latest defeat will cast more doubts on his ability of once again winning the French Open title in early June, having lost to Serbia’s top-ranked Novak Djokovic in last year’s quarterfinals.
“I lost an opportunity, that’s it,” said Nadal of his loss to Uruguayan Cuevas.
“I fought until the end. I have to accept it and keep working to try to change the dynamic. That’s what’s happening today and I have to work hard to change it.
“I didn’t win a title, so it wasn’t a positive two tournaments. I had my chances in both. I lost in the semifinals of both tournaments and just have to look forward to Indian Wells.”
That tournament, the first of the year’s Masters Series events, gets under way in California on March 20 followed by the Miami Masters.
Both tournaments are on outdoor hardcourts and Nadal will be hard pushed to match world No. 1 Djokovic, who has already won the Australian Open in dominating fashion.
In Delray Beach, Florida, Juan Martin Del Potro’s comeback from an injury layoff of nearly a year ended in defeat on Saturday as the 2009 US Open champion fell to Sam Querrey 5-7, 5-7 in the Delray Beach Open semifinals.
Querrey fired 10 aces and won 30 of 34 points on his first serve to advance after 80 minutes without ever facing a break point, booking a date in the final against fellow American Rajeev Ram.
Ram upset Bulgarian fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-3 in the other semifinal, also without facing a break point.
Argentine Del Potro, ranked 1,042nd in the world, was in his first event since last March following left wrist surgery last June. The 27-year-old wildcard entrant missed most of the 2014 and 2015 seasons due to the wrist.
Querrey, ranked 61st, had lost both prior meetings with the South American star without taking a set but had not faced him in nearly five years.
Querrey seeks his eighth career ATP crown but the first since Los Angeles in 2012 while Ram, ranked 89th but set to surpass his career-high 78th spot today, seeks a third title after winning on Newport grass in 2009 and last year.
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