Rafael Nadal insists his defeat to Dominic Thiem in the Madrid quarter-finals on Friday has zero impact on his Roland Garros chances, the Spaniard told reporters in Rome on Sunday.
The top seed, who opens his Rome campaign against either Fernando Verdasco or Damir Dzumhur, was on a 50-set, 21-match winning streak on clay heading into his match against Thiem, before the Austrian halted his progress.
Nadal dismissed the notion that he could now have less pressure in Paris in two weeks’ time now that the burden of the streak is no longer there.
“If it’s less pressure for me?” Nadal quizzed a reporter.
“I really don’t care. Of course will be much better to have the full pressure because I won all the matches.
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“These kind of things… I don’t know if you understand a little bit about the sport in general but you know, after 14 years being in the position that I’ve been fighting for important things. I can lose, I can win, but of course the loss last week is not going to help me for Roland Garros and of course the defeat of last week will not go against my possibilities in Roland Garros.
“That’s the real thing in my opinion. But of course it’s better to win all the matches, not because I won more I have more pressure. Normally it’s the opposite, when you win more you have less pressure.”
Targeting an eighth title at the Foro Italico in Rome, Nadal can move back to No. 1 in the world if he wins the trophy. He assures his sole focus is currently on this current tournament, despite the fact that Roland Garros is just around the corner.
“I’m here to play and then I’m going to try to win. That’s the real thing. I never considered any of these events like a preparation for another one. I never approached not one event like an approach for Roland Garros. Every tournament is very important in itself and for me even more because I have a great story in all these events,” said the 31-year-old.
“I won here seven times and for me it’s very special always to play here in these tournaments. I can win Roland Garros losing here, and I can win Roland Garros winning here. I don’t think what’s going to happen here is going to have a big impact on what can happen in two weeks, but there’s one thing that is 100 per cent sure: I’m not thinking about Roland Garros when I’m here, I’m thinking only about Rome.”
Nadal’s most recent title in Rome came in 2013. He was runner-up to Novak Djokovic in 2014, and fell at the quarter-final stage in each of the last three years.
