It's the story of the 14-time majors winner now battling his nerves as much as his physical ailments. But it has nothing to do with Tiger Woods.
Rafael Nadal said he is battling his nerves after his third-round loss to Fernando Verdasco at the Miami Open on Sunday.
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Verdasco's 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 win over the No. 3 player in the world marked only the second time in 15 matches that Nadal has lost to his countryman. But Verdasco is on a two-match winning streak vs. Rafa after beating him in the 2012 Madrid Open.
Nadal told atpworldtour.com that physically, he feels fine. But the lack of preparation he has had in 2015 has affected his confidence.
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"It's not the question of tennis, [It's] the question of being relaxed enough to play well on court," the 28-year-old, according to atptourn.com. "Today, my game in general improved since a month and a half [ago]. But at the same time, [I'm] still playing with too many nerves for a lot of moments, in important moments."
The comment seems odd, considering the fact that Nadal won the Argentina Open just more than a month ago. That seemingly would've given Nadal his confidence back.
Not so.
Nadal has not yet regressed to the point where he has contemplated a hiatus from the tour as Woods has. He seems resolved to return to his former dominant style of play.
"I have been able to control my emotions during 90 percent, 95 percent of my matches of my career... But I'm going to fix it," he said. "I don't know if [it'll be] in one week, in six months, or in one year, but I'm going to do it.
"It's something that I need to fix for myself and with my team. I need the help of my team, but especially I need the help of myself. That's what I am trying to do. Nobody's going to change the situation for you."
His uncle and coach, Toni, already has stated his apprehension over Nadal's ability to defend the French Open title.
"I believe it is a mental issue," Toni told the Spanish press two weeks ago. "When someone isn't feeling at his best mentally, that affects all other aspects, including the physic and the movements. What is the cause for this mental problem? Rafa is missing consistency. He has based all his career on constancy and consistency, and now he is missing it. To get back to competition had a price to it, and now we are paying for it."
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