No excuses for Nadal after shock Wimbledon exit

Originally published on: 25/06/13 00:00

The Spaniard had enjoyed a sensational return to the tour, winning seven titles since he made his comeback from injury in February.

However, a year after his surprise second-round defeat to Lukas Rosol at the All England Club, Nadal was beaten in the opening round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career as he was stunned by an inspired Darcis, who claimed the biggest win of his career with a 7-6(4) 7-6(8) 6-4 victory.

"It's tough losing in the first round but life continues," said Nadal. "All I want to do is congratulate Steve Darcis, he played a fantastic match. Talking about my knee is an excuse and I don't want to use excuses."

Nadal had opted to swerve the Gerry Weber Open in Halle after winning an eighth French Open title in Paris, and he admitted he had struggled to find his rhythm on the grass.

"On grass it's difficult to adapt your game when you don't have the chance to play before and I didn't find my rhythm," he admitted. "The calendar was for me perfect, winning seven tournaments out of nine.

"A couple of weeks ago I was in a fantastic situation and now I've lost in the first round. But I try my best in every tournament. People only remember victories and I don't want to remember the losses."

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