Rafael Nadal says he is concentrating on the grass-court season rather than his quarterfinal defeat to Novak Djokovic at the French Open.
The Spaniard, now ranked No. 10, praised the quality of the grass courts at the Stuttgart tournament, which had previously been played on clay. He won his opening doubles match with Feliciano Lopez to start the event and said he did not want to dwell on what was only his second-ever defeat at the French Open.
"It’s not the time to think about it today. It’s time to think about practice," he told the ATP.
With an extra week in between the French Open and Wimbledon, combined with his quarterfinal exit at Roland Garros, Nadal will have much more time than usual to get used to the faster surface. "First time on grass is always hard. I’m going to try my best," he said. "Now I get to play two weeks before Wimbledon for the first time, so I hope that helps."
Despite his up and down season, Nadal is still aiming for the top, saying, "I just have to improve my level of tennis, my intensity on the court. If I can do that, then I am confident I can get back to the highest level."
Nadal is scheduled to play Stuttgart and Queen's as warm-up tournaments.