Rafael Nadal news: Spaniard goes to Rio with 'goal to improve' poor form

Rafael Nadal will head to the ATP Rio de Janeiro with a goal to improve his poor form that has been the culprit in the Spaniard’s recent struggles.

Nadal failed to defend his Argentina Open title after suffering another upset against Austrian Dominic Thiem in the semifinal round of the tournament. But despite the loss, the 14-time Grand Slam winner is thinking positive heading into the 2016 Rio Open this week, insisting that two failed bids to win a title this season is too early to make an assessment.

“It's too early to make an assessment,” Nadal said, reports Tennis World USA. “Today I was in the position to play another final, I played the first final of the year in Doha and [at Argentina Open] I did not succeed. I go to Rio with the goal to improve and to reach it there.”

Nadal also opened about the sweltering condition of playing at the Argentina Open during afternoon time. The Mallorcan revealed the extreme conditions made him feel “more tired than usual,” which he also expects at the Jockey Club Brasileiro.

The Rio Open will feature almost the same set of top seeds who joined the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires last week. Nadal will be joined once again by compatriot David Ferrer, John Isner, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Thiem, who defeated Spain’s Nicolas Almagro for a fourth career title.

Nadal, who won the Rio Open title in 2014 in the tournament’s debut, opens his campaign against fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta. Nadal leads Busta in their FedEx ATP Head2Head by 2-0. Their last meeting was at the Qatar Open in Doha last month, where Nadal lost to Novak Djokovic in the final round.

Meanwhile, second seed and defending champion Ferrer will face-off with Chilean Nicolas Jarry in the opening round, while third seed Tsonga plays Wildcard qualifier Brazilian Thiago Monteiro.