Nadal's hopes of feeling 'confident' before Australian Open crash

Chennai, Jan 6: Rafeal Nadal's wish to start the Australian Open 'feeling good and confident' suffered a setback when he lost to Belgian Xavier Maiver Malisse at the semi-finals of the Chennai Open today.

Talking to reporters after the match, Nadal said he was hoping to go to Melbourne after playing in a tournament and enter the Australian Open 'feeling good and confident' again.

The top seed Spaniard had this to say, 'Well, nothing special, but I am disappointed not to have put myself in the year's first final and go for the title'.

The left-handed player played uncharacteristic tennis in the crucial semi-final was, however, all praise for Malisse. 'He served well and was playing well throughout', the Belgian said.

Nadal, with few title wins to his credit after June 2006 on the ATP tour last year said 'I wasn't playing my best. But I was trying.' The French Open winner said he had his chances in the second set and one or two in the first but failed to convert them. Asked if he would be back in Chennai Open in 2008 to open another new season, Nadal, indirectly saying that he would, adding 'that's a long time away. But I would like to be here as they are planning to start on January 5 instead of first. That would be good'.

Nadal said if he had won the second set, he could have wrested the match as he was playing better and better in the second set.

'Normally I fight back in a match. But today I was not', Nadal, sounding disappointed throughout the post-match press conference, said. He said he would give it a push in the doubles semi-final in which he is partnering fellow countryman Bartolome Salva-Vidal.

Asked if lack of match practice, having been pitted against easy opponents in the earlier rounds, was the reason for his poor show today, the 20-year-old merely said, 'when you play your best opponent, you are under pressure because this is the first week of the new tour'.

UNI