This was not supposed to happen to Rafael Nadal; not the man that was 70-1 at Roland Garros prior to his quarterfinals match at the 2015 French Open.
Novak Djokovic's 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 dismantling of Nadal on Wednesday was seen as a changing of the guard. Djokovic, 40-2 on the year and on a 27-match winning streak, has been on a mission to complete the career grand slam, and he couldn't have picked a better year to aim for the elusive French Open title that's missing from his resume.
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Nadal, who missed the better part of the second half of the 2014 season with various injuries that culminated with an appendectomy at the end of the year, has been scrambling to find his game and his confidence.
Is it possible that the display Djokovic put on could serve as the impetus to get Nadal to his No. 1 form he had as recently as 2013?
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"I accept the defeats and there is only one sure thing: I want to work harder even than before to come back stronger," Nadal said following the match, according to ATPWorldTour.com.
"I am going to fight. I lost in 2009 and it was not the end. I lost in 2015 and it is not the end. I hope to be back here next year with another chance."
Nadal showed a glimpse of his former self in the first set, when he came back from a 4-0 deficit to tie the match at 4-4. But Djokovic recovered and it was Nadal whose confidence faltered.
The positive is that Nadal has not reported any injuries this year, and that may come back to aid his confidence. If he doesn't have to worry about his health, then he can focus on his game.
"The first set was key. But then when you lose in the way I lost today, I'd say c'est la vie," Nadal said, according to ATPWorldTour.com. "It's the way it is. If you look at the score I'd say I didn't win enough games. He played better than I did. You have to accept it and congratulate the other player. Then you have to analyze the reasons and then work really hard. This is what I think I'll have to do now."
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