"I had problems breathing" - says Nadal after loss to Fritz

Fritz claimed the biggest title of his career to defeat a visibly struggling Nadal and break the Spaniard's perfect start to 2022 in stunning fashion in the ATP showpiece in the desert.

Nadal, who was the red-hot favourite heading into the final, saw his 20-match streak come to an astonishing halt as the 20th seed claimed a 6-3 7-6 victory to become the first American to lift the trophy since Andre Agassi in 2001. Nadal was visibly disappointed during the trophy ceremony saying:

“I tried my best during the last two weeks. Today it was not possible, but I had a good fight to the end I think, and I’m happy for that. It’s been a very emotional beginning to the season for me. It’s been a while since I had a chance to play here, and everyone knows it’s one of my favourite places, without a doubt, so I'm very happy to be back. I really enjoy it a lot every single day that I spend here at Indian Wells. Hopefully I can keep coming back for the next couple of years.”

Speaking after the ceremony to reporters Nadal admitted that the loss is a tough one to swallow:

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"Honestly, I wanted to make it perfect before [the] clay. [It would] have been very, very, very beautiful.Honestly, I am sad because of the way I was not able to compete. It is tough to have these feelings, every day, but especially in the final is very, very ugly. But, yeah, in sport it is not about talking of the past. We need to talk about today, and today is a difficult day for me."

Asked about the injury he sustained late against Alcaraz he said:

"I had problems breathing. I don't know if it is something on the rib, I don't know yet. When I'm breathing, when I'm moving, it's like a needle all the time inside here. I get dizzy a little bit because it's painful. It's a kind of pain that limits me a lot. It is not only about pain, I don't feel very well because it affects my breathing. [I am] more than sad [about the breathing] than for the loss, something that I accepted immediately, and even before the match ended, it's more about that I am suffering a little bit, honestly."