Rafael Nadal humorously blamed his baby son for his recent dip in form. His comments came after his loss to Carlos Alcaraz at the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday, October 17.
A few days ago, Nadal announced his retirement from tennis, revealing that the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain, this November would mark his final professional tournament. However, before that, he had already committed to the exhibition event in the Gulf country, where he advanced directly to the semifinals alongside his longtime rival, Novak Djokovic.
The Spaniard faced Carlos Alcaraz, who had just secured a strong 6-4, 6-2 win over Holger Rune, in the last four and lost 6-3, 6-3 to the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion. During the on-court interview afterwards, he humorously mentioned his baby son, who was there cheering him on with his wife, Maria, dedicating a few lighthearted words to him.
"Well I don’t think I’m great," Nadal said. "Since he arrived to the world I lost more than I won. At the same time having him here helps all the tough moments I’ve been through the last couple of years. He behaves very well even when it’s late. I’m happy."
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