MADRID — Rafael Nadal lost to Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 Thursday at the Madrid Open, threatening not to return if officials keep the new blue-clay court.
Nadal blew a 4-1 lead in the third set en route to the loss, his first to Verdasco in 14 matches. The Spaniard blamed his first loss on clay in almost a year on the blue clay, calling it soft and slippery earlier in the week.
“Being able to move is very important for me and if I can’t move well, I can’t hit the ball well either,” said Nadal, a two-time Madrid champion. “If things don’t change, this will be one less tournament on the calendar for me.
“This surface destabilizes the game. It is a completely different game and I don’t want to take risks.”
The third-round defeat was Nadal’s earliest exit in a clay-court tournament since he fell in 2004 to Olivier Mutis in the second round in Palermo, Italy.
Verdasco became only the seventh player to beat Nadal on clay in eight years. He burst into tears on the court after the match.
“After losing so many times against honestly the best player on clay ever, to beat him on clay is the maximum,” Verdasco said. “I don’t have words. I am happy for the win, although it is difficult to hold myself together now. I need to calm down, rest and get ready for the next match.”
Verdasco will play Tomas Berdych after the Czech beat Gael Monfils 6-1, 6-1.
Source: http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/05/10/after-upset-rafael-nadal-threatens-to-avoid-madrid-open-if-blue-clay-stays/
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