Rafael Nadal Battles Anxiety And Confidence Issues That Affect His On-Court Performance
Rafael Nadal has not been playing tennis in his old winning form since he made his comeback from an injury-plagued 2014 season. According to the former World No. 1, the reason why he hasn’t been able to build up much momentum this season is because he is struggling with anxiety and confidence issues.
Speaking at a press conference following his third-round straight sets loss 6-4 2-6 6-3 to fellow compatriot Fernando Verdasco at the 2015 Miami Open, Nadal revealed what has been bothering him that affects his performance on the tennis court. The Mallorca native said that his loss to Verdasco can be ascribed to his failure to play with composure and confidence on the court.
Second-seeded Nadal, a four-time finalist in Miami, was upset by Verdasco in the third round of the 31st edition of the tournament in his campaign to win his maiden Miami Open title. Nadal fought back after losing the first set. He broke Verdasco twice to close the second set. In the final set, Verdasco broke Nadal 3-1 and eventually win the match to advance in the last 16.
Nadal dismissed the thought that his past injuries were to blame for the recent slump in his career. He insisted that there is nothing wrong with his tennis. He said he has been practicing well and he knew that his performances have somehow improved in Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires compared to his form in Australia back in January.
“Still playing on competition, you know, feeling more tired than usual, feeling that I don’t have the self-confidence that when I hit the ball I’m going to hit the ball where I want to hit the ball, to go for the ball running and knowing that my position will be the right one,” Nadal told the reporters. “Now I need to fix again the nerves, the self-control on court, that's another issue - it’s not a tough issue to fix, but I’m going to keep trying, I am trying my best, I am practicing with the right attitude, I think.”
Now that Nadal’s favourite claycourt surface is coming up. He knows that he has to get past all the psychological problems that he is having if he wants to succeed and win more tournaments.
Nadal’s 2015 Season Tournament Results
Nadal is currently ranks third in the world rankings. This season, he has a 15-5 win-loss record. At Doha in January, the Spaniard endured an early exit after losing to Michael Berrer in the first round 1-6 6-3 6-4. He reached the quarterfinals of the first grand slam tournament at the Australian Open before losing to Tomas Berdych 6-2 6-0 7-6.
Nadal’s next tournament after the Australian Open was the Rio Open, where he was the defending champion. Unfortunately, Nadal’s bid to defend his title was squashed by Italy’s Fabio Fognini in the semifinals 1-6 6-2 7-5.
Nadal won his first title of the season in Buenos Aires. He beat local favourite Juan Monaco in straight sets 6-4 6-1.
Then, Nadal played at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. He reached the quarterfinals of the tournament but lost to Canada’s Milos Raonic 6-4 6-7(10) 5-7.
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