Spain’s Rafael Nadal was soundly beaten by World Number 1, Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open. The score ended 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in the Serbian star’s favour. In the wake of the defeat, Nadal was asked about his plans for the remainder of the season. While not revealing much, he did mention which tournament he could play next after Melbourne.

“I need matches, but I can’t go crazy to play matches. I have my age. I have my calendar. I have my priorities. My priority now is come back home, have some rest. I played good tennis for couple of weeks. Now is the time to be back, to have a good physical work, keep working on the things that worked very well here. Step by step, working on the things that I need a little bit more. That’s the mobility, the defensive positions, the recovery from positions that are difficult to come back. That is something that I have naturally good, but I need to practice and need to be able to do it at that highest level.”

“Then my next step is Acapulco. That’s my goal. Is a tournament that I like to play. I had some success there. I am excited to come back to Acapulco. I have Acapulco, I have Indian Wells, and that’s my calendar today. The only thing I am sure I am not going to play something before these two events. That’s my calendar today. Then we see. Depend how things go, I keep going or I take a rest to play on clay.”

The Spaniard is aware that the season is long. So, in lieu of that, he is prioritising his well-being and happiness. He continued, saying that he will be doing things that give him a better chance to be healthy. Rafa knows that if he is in peak condition, he will surely be competitive, and therefore, happy. He has a chance to win tournaments, and if not, things will change 100%.