World No 2 Rafael Nadal concedes he needs to straighten things out in his head to be a force again
World No 2 Rafael Nadal concedes he needs to straighten things out in his head to be a force again
Rafael Nadal, seeking his first ATP World Tour title in eight months, admitted after reaching the semi-finals of the Qatar Open that he has been suffering from a crisis of confidence.
"I have had a lot of problems in the head," the former world number one said after winning 6-1, 2-0 when his opponent, the Belgian qualifier Steve Darcis, retired after only 35 minutes of very one-sided action.
"I have had under-confidence and things in the head u2014 but that's life. You have to accept problems and you have to come back. I am trying. We will see what happens in the next six months."
For someone who has been conspicuously stable while closing out matches, rarely letting slip opportunities to win when they present themselves, Nadal's words superficially contained an element of surprise.
However, he has had increasing problems with arthritic knees, suffered from a stomach ailment, and reportedly been affected by the recent break-up of his parents' marriage.
The 24-year-old Majorcan took only two days' break over Christmas before returning to training and is here in Doha with his mother, though not his uncle-coach Toni. Apparently he will link up in Melbourne for Nadal's defence of the Australian Open title the week after next.
Nadal was asked whether the media has been too impatient with him - suggesting that he is not the player he was, for having reached just one final since returning from a three-month absence in August.
"We will see in a few months," Nadal replied amicably.
"Everyone is free to talk. I can say nothing against them. I didn't win against the best players.
"But that's tennis u2014 you can't be all the time one hundred percent. I am ready to try and win tournaments, but you never know what will happen. You have to work every day, every week, and wait your moment."
During the very short time Nadal was on court it was apparent that he was trying to be more forceful with his first serve, later volunteering to having made small improvements identified after many hours of watching videos with his uncle.
He also put plenty of energy into his pumping topspin drives, applying plenty of pressure without waiting for opportunities for his more characteristic counter-attacks. The highlight though was an inventive winning lob, played off his body like a cricket shot.
