Rafael Nadal brushes off excuses for loss: ‘I didn’t deserve to win’

Rafael Nadal continues to find the Paris Masters impenetrable as he fell to Tommy Paul in the second round. 

The 22-time Slam champion was competing in his first singles match since the US Open nearly two months ago. After taking the opening set he eventually lost 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 to end his hopes of a maiden Paris title at the first hurdle.

“All the credit to Tommy,” Nadal said after the loss. “Things that happens sometimes. But no, it’s good, no? I think he played aggressive, a lot of great shots.

“I had my match in that second set with set and break, I played terrible game there. Yeah, I didn’t deserve the victory playing that bad in that key moment, no.

“Until that moment was okay, a good match for me. Knowing that is my first match since a while. Then this surface especially you cannot make mistakes with your serve.”

Rafael Nadal was up a set and a break when serving at 2-1 he was broken to love. The Spaniard did look underpowered, but refused to accept excuses for the result.

“No, a lot of things going on the last couple of months, without a doubt,” he continued. “But, yeah, we are always ready to find excuses, but at the end, it’s always the same. You play well, you win. You don’t, you lose.”

The result means Carlos Alcaraz will remain at world number one entering the ATP Finals. It also bolsters the 19-year-old’s chances of finishing as year-end world number one.

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