Rafael Nadal said he was slow and rusty as he suffered a disastrous start to his bid to win the ATP Finals for the first time after crashing to a 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 defeat to Taylor Fritz on Sunday.

“It’s about time,” the 36-year-old said. “I have less time than him to do what I want to do on the ball. I felt that everything was going so fast.”

The year-ending Finals is the only major trophy missing from tennis icon Nadal’s list of honours but his straight-sets loss means he will struggle to escape the round-robin stage.

He probably needs to win both his remaining matches against Green Group opponents Casper Ruud and Felix Auger-Aliassime if he is to make the semi-finals.

Nadal, who had not played on the tour since the US Open in September, said he is struggling to rediscover his best form after recent injuries.

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