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Spain’s Rafael Nadal reacts to a point against Britain’s Cameron Norrie during the men’s singles match on day three of the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney on December 31, 2022. (Photo by Saeed KHAN/AFP) /
Rafa Nadal brushed aside talk of retirement anytime soon after the 22-time Grand Slam champion was stunned by Cameron Norrie at the United Cup mixed team tournament on Saturday, saying he is still happy to compete at the highest level.
Nadal’s preparations for his Australian Open title defense got off to a shaky start when Norrie beat him 3-6 6-3 6-4 to claim his first victory over the 36-year-old Spaniard in their fifth career meeting.
Faced with the question of whether defeat at this stage in his career made him more determined to play as long as he could or to admit that things were getting tougher, Nadal simply said that retirement was not on his mind.
“I lost my match. Is that already the case? Every time I come to a press conference I feel like I need to retire. So you are obsessed with my pension. I mean, it’s not like that now,” a smiling Nadal told reporters.
“When the day comes, I will let you know. Don’t continue (continue) with retirement, because I’m still here to play tennis.
Nadal, whose 2022 season started in contrast with a 20-match winning streak, said the early defeat before the new season was not a disaster.
“I can do better and I have to do it. He played his first match two days ago, that’s an advantage, especially when you win matches like he did,” added Nadal.
“Then I need to be faster physically, a little more steady, some mistakes and make better decisions at some points, play longer.
“All credit to him that he did a lot of things well. In my case, I think there is a way to improve but I have time before the Australian Open starts in two weeks. Anyway, we are still focused on this competition.
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