To accept defeat sportingly is the trademark of champions, and Rafael Nadal is the greatest of champions after all. Recently, he lost a hard-fought quarterfinal against Stefanos Tsitsipas which brought an unexpected end to his Australian Open 2021 campaign.

After being two sets up in the match, the 34-year-old Spaniard lost his rhythm, allowing Tsitsipas to complete his comeback. As a result, the Greek won one of his biggest matches in his career (3-6, 2-6, 7-6, 6-4, 7-5).

However, Rafa more than anything knows how to take a loss. Instead of making excuses or complaining, he is already looking forward to competing ahead.

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In his post-match interview, Rafael Nadal said, “I am not the guy that finds excuses or complain about what happened. The only thing I can do is just keep going. I am going to keep fighting for it.”

Along with that, the 20-time Grand Slam winner called himself lucky to be able to create such opportunities. This is a perfect lesson for all the athletes, not just tennis players, on accepting defeat.

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Later on, the Australian Open 2021 Twitter handle shared the video with the title ‘Wise Words’. And joining fans, the Australian star Nick Kyrgios responded, calling it ‘Quality’.

Moving forward, the Spaniard will continue to be a great leader and the ambassador of the sport. He will fly to the Netherlands, where he will participate in the Rotterdam Open after 12 years.

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Can Rafael Nadal win his 21 Grand Slam this season?

Before losing three straight sets to Tsitsipas, Rafa had not dropped a single set throughout the tournament. He registered a second-highest sets streak (35) including the first two against the Greek.

In doing so, he leveled with Jim Connors but fell one short of equaling Roger Federer’s record (36). However, it shows that the Spaniard is in great touch with the ball and can wreak havoc ahead.

Also, considering his dominance on clay, the record 13-time French Open champion is still a big-time favorite for the title. But he will need to stand up against the great force of the ‘Next Gen’ players.

Since the Swiss maestro is also returning after the Australian Open, the tennis calendar is only going to get better. Let’s see what the rest of the 2021 season has in stock for Nadal.

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