Nadal says he suffered “pain and trouble breathing” in Indian Wells finale

Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal explained on Sunday that he suffered pain and trouble breathing during his defeat in the Indian Wells final and does not know the reasons that caused it.

“The only thing I can say is that it's hard for me to breathe. When I try to breathe, it's painful and very uncomfortable,” Nadal, 35, told the media after his unexpected defeat in the final against American Taylor Fritz 6-3 and 7-6 (7/5).

“When I breathe, when I move, it's like a needle all the time in here,” he said pointing to his chest. “I get a little dizzy because it's painful. I don't know if it's something in the rib, I don't know yet.”

The Spanish star, who missed much of last season due to his chronic left foot injury, began to suffer the problems in Indian Wells on Saturday night during the final stretch of his three-hour battle against his young compatriot Carlos Alcaraz.

“When I finished yesterday at the last minute and played this morning, I didn't have the opportunity to do a lot of things, not even to review what's going on,” he said.

“It's not just about pain, I don't feel very well because it affects my breathing. More than sad about the defeat, something I accepted immediately, and even before the match ended, it is that I am suffering a little, sincerely”, he stressed.

Nadal resisted the defeat to Fritz for two intense hours, ending his 20-win streak in a row at the start of the season, in which he reached a record 21 Grand Slam titles winning the Australian Open.

“Although it is obvious that I have not been able to do normal things today, it is a final. I've tried. I lost to a great player,” he admitted.

Despite the disappointment that his start of the season streak, second only to Novak Djokovic in the ATP, Nadal said he will try to recover as soon as possible to start the clay tournaments, which include Roland Garros, the Grand Slam he has won on 13 occasions.

“I wanted to make it perfect before clay. It would have been very, very nice,” he said. “But now is the time to try to solve this problem as soon as possible and try to start with clay.”

“Now I'm sad but I'm not the kind of person who goes down or up a lot emotionally depending on the moment,” he stressed. “I'm usually stable and put everything into perspective. The last two months I have lived them in an incredible, unforgettable, very emotional way. I enjoy things that a few months ago I didn't think I could live again.”