Rafael Nadal of Spain has come short of winning his first ATP Swiss Indoors Basel after bowing against Roger Federer in the final round of the tournament 6-3 5-7 6-3. But despite the loss, Rafael Nadal showed some signs of getting back into top-form, according to Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

Djokovic and Murray believe Nadal is on the verge of reclaiming his elite tennis-form after a strong campaign in Basel, defeating Lukas Rosol, Grigor Dimitrov, 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic and Richard Gasquet on the way to the final.

Djokovic praised Nadal from coming back a few points against Rosol, Dimitrov, and Cilic, adding that a close game like those would help him “mentally” in other tight matches. Murray, on the other hand, was also impressed with Nadal’s performance at the Swiss Indoors and hinted that the “King of Clay” is getting closer to his peak level.

''The last few months he's started winning matches again and the ones he's been losing, most of them have been very close,'' Murray said, reports Tennis. ''He's getting back close to where he wants to be.''

Josh Katzowitz of Forbes noted that Nadal’s tennis display in the past week was the one the Spaniard needed to boost his campaign for the BNB Paris Masters and for the upcoming tournaments next year.

“Nadal, since flaming out early at the U.S. Open, has begun to play better,” Katzowitz wrote. “He made the finals at the China Open last month, falling to Djokovic, and the next week in Shanghai, he beat two top-10 players (No. 4 Stan Wawrinka and No. 9 Miles Raonic) before bowing out to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinals.”

Nadal will join Djokovic, Federer, and Murray among the top players to receive a bye at the Paris Masters and could have a potential rematch with Lukas Rosol, who will face Guillermo Garcia Lopez in the first round.

Djokovic, who looks for a sixth ATP 1000 Masters title this year, will face Thomaz Belluci in the second round, while 17-time Grand Slam winner Federer competes against Andreas Seppi. Following his final-four exit in China, Murray will be back in action against either Fernando Verdasco or Borna Coric.

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