Rafa Nadal described his stunning semi-final loss to Ivan Ljubicic on Saturday as an “accident”, and felt he had been playing close to his best at the Indian Wells ATP tournament.
The Spanish world number three was upset 3-6, 6-4 ,7-6 by the big-serving Croat at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden after he had squandered three break points in the sixth game of the second set to lead 4-2.
“That was an accident today,” Nadal told reporters after failing in his bid to win a third title at Indian Wells in four years. “That’s my feeling, because I was playing [well] enough to win the tournament.”
“It was an important accident, and I have to learn to try to play more aggressive next time, try to convert the opportunities,” he said.
“But for the rest, nothing to say, no? I was feeling I was playing better than probably ever on this court,” the left-handed Spaniard said.
Nadal was playing his first tournament on the ATP circuit since shaking off the knee injury that forced him to abandon his Australian Open title defense in January.
Ljubicic, who turned 31 on Friday, was due to compete for his first Masters 1000 title in yesterday’s final against Andy Roddick, who held off a fightback by Swede Robin Soderling to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
Seventh-seeded Roddick reached the final at Indian Wells for the first time in four attempts after holding off sixth-seeded Soderling in one hour 46 minutes.
“I definitely would love to win this,” Roddick said. “This is probably the only real big tournament in North America that I haven’t won.”
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