Australian Open misery hurt more than Wimbledon final loss to Djokovic, says Spaniard Nadal

Rafael Nadal insisted yesterday that his Wimbledon final defeat to Novak Djokovic was not the worst of his career, claiming his double dose of Australian Open misery was tougher to take.

Nadal, the defending champion, was beaten 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 by the red-hot Djokovic who will take the Spaniard's World No 1 spot today. But for Nadal, the memories of Melbourne are still raw.

The 25-year-old was in tears in January after his injury-ruined quarter-final against compatriot David Ferrer. A year earlier, knee tendinitis forced him to retire from his quarter-final with Andy Murray. "The toughest moment was in Australia and I finished the match and I am injured....in 2010 I have to go out of Australia with an injury.
That is the toughest moment. That's the game: sometimes you win; sometimes you lose," he said. "Three weeks ago I was winning Roland Garros; today I was playing the final here and I lost. That's the sport. We started with 128 players. One has to win. I was the second. It's a good result for me."