Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France celebrates after defeating Rafael Nadal of Spain during their singles match at the ATP World Tour Finals in the O2 Arena in London on Thursday. [Photo/Agencies]

Weary Spanish star vows to return better than ever next year

LONDON - Rafael Nadal admits he has struggled to find the motivation to drag his weary body through the final weeks of a grueling campaign.

Nadal crashed out of the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals on Thursday after Jo-Wilfried Tsonga condemned the world No 2 to his second successive defeat at London's O2 Arena.

The Spaniard needed to beat Tsonga to reach the semifinals after losing to Roger Federer in his previous Group B match, but he couldn't quite summon up the energy required to subdue the world number six.

Nadal has been one of the leading voices in the campaign to shorten the ATP season and he conceded he was feeling not only the physical but also the mental strain of 11 months on the circuit.

"I can talk hours about that," he said when asked for reasons behind his recent slump.

"It's because of lots of things; probably I had a little bit less passion for the game and probably because I was a little bit more tired than usual.

"I was happy with how I practised the last three weeks. That's important because I was in the right condition, but to compete I wasn't in the right way.

"I didn't have big expectations for this tournament. But you always dream that the situation can change.

"We can find excuses, we can find more problems but now is not the moment to say that.

"I had good season but I'm not happy about a few things. This end of the year wasn't easy for me. That's hard to accept. This year was a tough year for me."

Nadal conceded that Tsonga deserved his 7-6 (2), 4-6, 6-3 victory because he was unable to put sustained pressure on the Frenchman.

"The first two sets I didn't play bad, but I didn't play well, and to win these kind of matches you have to play well," Nadal said.

"Jo knew where I hit every ball during the point. I didn't have surprise shots during the match. So that's very difficult at this level. I was solid, but too slow with the legs.

"I was a little bit slower than usual because my mind wasn't perfect, so the reaction was late."

Although Nadal is running on fumes, he has no intention of pulling out of the Davis Cup final against Argentina, especially since it will be played on his favored clay courts.

"On clay I have more time to think. The movements are a little bit easier for me," he said.

"I going to have the right team there supporting me. I will try my best every day to try to win the Davis Cup for my country.

"I'm lucky, if I'm not in the right conditions, the captain can choose another player."

A victory in the Davis Cup would bring a satisfactory end to a frustrating season for Nadal, who won the French Open but also lost in the Wimbledon and US Open finals to Novak Djokovic and surrendered his No 1 spot to the Serb as a result.

Nadal departed with a warning for his rivals and he plans to come back stronger than ever.

"I know the one way to change the situation is to work more, think more about tennis, do everything in the right shape, do everything good inside the court, everything good outside the court," he said.

"And that's what I going to try to do for the next month and for 2012. That's what I can do."

"My motivation I hope is the same. If it's not enough, it's not enough. But I will be satisfied with myself."

Agence France-Presse