Dominic Thiem defeated Rafael Nadal in the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals on Tuesday in what was one of the most tightly contested matches of the year.
Despite staging arguably his best indoor performance recently, Nadal ultimately fell short 7-6(7), 7-6(4) to the Austrian.
Rafael Nadal seems to have accepted this morale-sapping defeat in his stride, according to his post-match remarks. The Spaniard seemed fairly upbeat whilst speaking to the press, also expressed great confidence in their own ability to recover from this blow off and turn the tables later on.
“I don’t want to pretend to be arrogant all the time. My thing is I think I can win on every surface and against any player. I know I have to play the best tennis I can. My goal is just to keep going. I hope to be ready against Tsitsipas. I am confident with my game” said Nadal.
????️#Nadal: “I really don’t feel that he played better than me or I played better than him. I think both of us played at very high level. He deserved to win because he played a little bit better in some key moments and that’s it. It’s sad I couldn’t close the first”#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/u64nVpGXXa
— Lucila Morinigo (@lucilamgo) November 17, 2020
While breaking down the game, Rafael Nadal pointed out there wasn’t much to distinguish between Dominic Thiem and himself. But he claimed the Thiem was more deserving of the success because of his ability to play the big points better.
Rafael Nadal did acknowledge that he felt somewhat dejected in the immediate aftermath of his defeat. But at precisely the same time, he also promised everyone he was already looking ahead to his final group game against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Nadal’s statement after his defeat against Thiem:
“He generated damage on me with his overall game and I generated damage on his as well,” the Spaniard continued. “I truly don’t believe he played better than me or that I played better than him. I think both people played at a very high level. He deserved to win since he played a tiny bit better at some vital minutes and that’s it.”
“But as I mentioned before know my perception isn’t negative, of course sad,” Nadal explained. “He played a great game and I expect to have my chances. I think I’m much more confident now than a couple of days ago. So I just have the opportunity to keep going and considering Tsitsipas now.”
I think the human side gives some more value and grace to the sport: Rafael Nadal said for line judges
As the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals is taking place with line judges, the fans and players are getting a fantastic look at the brand new Hawk-eye Live technologies. Rafael Nadal, however, isn’t a big fan of the initiative.
There had been a couple of instances during the match where Nadal seemed unconvinced by the automatic call. And after the game, he threw his weight behind retaining line judges for future championships – something which Novak Djokovic isn’t an advocate of. The Spaniard mentioned the human side’ of making manual line calls, which he believes adds a layer of value’ to the game.
Nadal’s Statement on Hawk-eye Live technology:
“personally prefer the line umpires to what we have here, we must be able to adapt to the situation this world presents us but if you ask me towards the future I prefer line judges,” Nadal said. “It is true the sport has not changed many things in the last 50 decades, compared with nearly all sports but I don’t think this really is a way to better the spectacle of our game. The technology is there, it may be just the two of us in the courtroom if we need it, but I think the human side gives some more value and elegance to this game.”
