Rafael Nadal tempers expectations after China Open loss

BEIJING, China -- No. 56 Martin Klizan stunned No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals of the China Open on Friday, coming back from a break down in the final

Courtney Nguyen | Oct 3, 2014

Rafael Nadal tempers expectations after China Open loss /

BEIJING, China -- No. 56 Martin Klizan stunned No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals of the China Open on Friday, coming back from a break down in the final set to win 6-7 (7), 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the semifinals. Nadal had been sidelined with a right wrist injury since the summer and was playing in just his third match since Wimbledon. Klizan, a qualifier, blasted 33 winners past Nadal, who struggled with his rhythm and forehand. Nadal finished the match with 21 winners and 37 unforced errors. The loss was Nadal's first loss to a qualifier in 10 years, when he lost to Julien Benneteau in Lyon on October 4, 2004.

The Evolution of Tennis Fashion: Rafael Nadal

2003

Here's 16-year-old Nadal, sporting his short-shorts and incredibly baggy T-shirt. Do those sleeves cover his elbow? Yes, they do.

2003

Still swimming in shirts -- and he wasn't the worst one at the tournament.

2003

Nadal's billowing shirt -- in a new, lime-green color -- makes it easier for torso exposure during the match.

2004

Still sticking with the white headband, Nadal finally opts for a better-fitting top.

2004

Nadal continues the aggressive look of his soon-to-be signature sleeveless shirt and makes his transformation into a style icon.

2004

A mustard yellow sleeveless top and thick, white wristbands for New York.

2005

The addition of his "piratas" marked the birth of Nadal's trademark look: sleeveless tops and capri-length pants.

2005

The beginning of Nadal's love for orange, and Nike's love for waved, two-toned designs.

2005

Nike put a green-spin on Rafa's signature style just in time for his maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open.

2005

Rafa went with an all-white, collared and quarter-zip version of his sleeveless top for the All England Club.

2005

Nadal sported a rare monochrome top for his win over Andre Agassi in the final of the Rogers Cup.

2005

This skin-tight, sleeveless crop top was a one-time wonder at the U.S. Open, after Nadal lost in the third round.

2006

Back to orange -- and a distinctive Nadal dive -- at Indian Wells.

2006

Nike went with a two-toned sleeveless top for the French Open. Black in the back...

2006

...and Roger Federer-matching blue in the front. And with that, never again did Nike try to make two kits out of one swath of fabric for its two male stars.

2006

Rafa looks sleek and sharp in his Wimbledon whites, adorned with strokes of black.

2006

Stephen Hilger/Bloomberg News/Getty Images

Nadal got a brief respite from his capris with these long shorts for the summer. (He lost to Mikhail Youzhny in the quarterfinals at this U.S. Open.)

2006

Nadal embodies his country's colors with this red and yellow ensemble as he represented Spain at the Davis Cup.

2007

Back to the piratas, looking like a man prepared to hit the Australian Outback.

2007

Pirata twinsies!

2007

At this point it became clear that while Nike would kit Roger Federer out in conservative solid colors, Nadal was going to get the bold neon colors.

2008

Nadal in Karate Kid patterned headbands? No.

2008

Nadal goes green in his 2008 French Open winning kit.

2008

Greatest match of all time = Greatest kit of all time? Is that how it works?

2008

The orange headband and wristbands were odd, but Nadal's Spain kit was worthy of a gold medal in Beijing.

2008

Nike's insistence on putting random patterns on Rafa has always been a head-scratcher.

2009

Nike finally goes with a polo shirt with sleeves. And thus begins the fashion maturation of Rafa Nadal.

2009

An underrated kit. Simple, clean, but still fun.

2009

At this point it became clear that collars were not going to work on Rafa.

2009

Nadal's only loss at Roland Garros came in this garishly-pink collared shirt. Not a trophy-worthy look.

2009

Patterned shorts. Let's not.

2010

Then again, patterned shorts done right. The subtlety is key.

2010

Nadal wins his second Wimbledon title in a v-neck.

2010

This was 100 percent, hands down the best kit Rafa's ever worn. Darth Nadal was a treat.

2011

Nadal ended up tearfully losing to David Ferrer in the quarterfinals at this Australian Open, but all we can remember is his distractingly large t-shirt.

2011

Once again, bright solid colors to the rescue.

2011

Federer's Red vs. Nadal's Blue at the French Open.

2012

Somewhere along the line Nadal's shirts became much clingier.

2012

Victory Red.

2013

Sadly the sombrero was not a permanent accessory.

2013

A simple kit for Nadal's eighth French Open title.

2013

Slate bluish-grey with hot pink accents, Nike once again delivered for Rafa in New York.

2013

The era of short-shorts begins.

2014

No really, they got really short.

2014

A return to blue in Madrid.

2014

Nadal wins his ninth French Open in gray thigh-bearing shorts. Boxers, essentially.

Klizan had total of 14 break points to Nadal's seven (the Spaniard converted three of them) during the match. He broke Nadal early in the first set only to give the break right back and then lose a tight tiebreaker. But the 25-year-old from Bratislava continued to pummel the ball in the second set. He fell behind 2-4 but won four consecutive games to win the second set and force a third. He fell behind an early break once again in the final set but went on to win the last four games from 2-3 down to hand Nadal his first loss in two hours and 37 minutes.

Nadal has been quick to temper any expectations for the remainder of his season all week. His goal is to get match-play and then put in a full month of off-season training to prepare for the 2015 season. Against Klizan, Nadal struggled to put the big-hitting Slovakian on the defensive and push him off the baseline. Klizan took advantage by stepping into the court and finding the angles to get Nadal on the run. The Spaniard admitted he was disappointed in his ability to recover from even normal positions on the court.

"I came here to two tournaments knowing that normal things that happen like today are going to happen," Nadal said. While the rest of the tour is sharp from playing every week, he believes he's starting from scratch again. "Accept that. Is practice here. Shanghai, even if it's a Masters 1000, today I cannot think about big things. I have to think about day by day, trying to do the best as possible to do again quick. But I need time."

#TBT: The 2008 Beijing Olympics put tennis back in the spotlight

One of the issues that has been on Nadal's mind all week are the balls that will be used in a majority of the tournaments for the rest of the season. Nadal blasted the ATP Head balls being used at the China Open, complaining of irregular bounces and a lack of general quality. Asked to elaborate on what he found so disagreeable with the Head balls, Nadal quipped, "I don't know what's good."

The remainder of the season will also be played on quicker outdoor hard courts as in next week's Shanghai Masters, and indoors at the Paris Masters and World Tour Finals -- both surfaces that are not his favorite. "As I said the other day, the balls and courts are difficult ones for me this part of the season, probably the most difficult ones," he said. "Shanghai is very quick. Last year was very quick. The ball is good. But is very quick. Paris and London we play with the same ball [as] here. So for me will be tough to find the right feelings."

Published Oct 3, 2014

COURTNEY NGUYEN

Contributor, SI.com Nguyen is a freelance writer for SI.com, providing full coverage of professional tennis both on and off the court. Her content has become a must-read for fans and insiders to stay up-to-date with a sport that rarely rests. She has appeared on radio and TV talk shows all over the world and is one of the co-hosts of No Challenges Remaining, a weekly podcast available on iTunes. Nguyen graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1999 and received a law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2002. She lives in the Bay Area.