Nadal not worried after Madrid exit, keeps focus on French Open

MADRID: Rafael Nadal wasn’t losing any sleep after his loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals at the Madrid Open.

His focus hasn’t changed. It’s still all about getting ready for the French Open in a few weeks.

I accept this loss naturally and with tranquility,” Nadal said after Friday’s three-set defeat.

I’m know the path I have to stay on so I can arrive (in Paris) with real options in two-anda-half weeks’ time. That’s what I’m working on right now.

Nadal came to Madrid without being able to prepare properly because of a six-week injury layoff.

He said ideally he should have skipped the tournament but in the end was happy with how it turned out.

I have done what I could, he said.

I have had better days, worse days. But it has not been a disaster in any case. I have competed with the correct attitude. I have played two, twoand-a-half hours, nearly three, I think three matches, this is a positive outcome.

The 35-year-old Nadal was trying to win his sixth Madrid Open title.

He opened with a straightset win over Miomir Kecmanovic then needed to save four match points to get past David Goffin in three sets in his second match.

He was overpowered in the quarterfinals by the 19-yearold Alcaraz, one of the hottest players on tour this year and considered by many in Spain as Nadal’s successor.