Nadal looks to find feet on clay

Rafael Nadal no doubt had a lot going round his head as he prepared for Spain's upcoming Davis Cup final against Argentina with teammates Fernando Verdasco and Marcel Granollers in Seville from Friday to Sunday.

Fresh from his elimination from the World Tour Finals in London at the hands of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the Mallorcan world number two has this year already equaled his greatest number of defeats in a season since entering tennis' elite (15, as in 2007), a marker he could surpass if he falls in any of his encounters in La Cartuja stadium this weekend. He hasn't won a tournament since his French Open triumph last June.

His own harsh words sum up a season that has been decent enough but also marked by the dominance of Novak Djokovic: "I need time to think and work on mental aspects. I lacked concentration on the ball... [Since the tournament in Tokyo] I have felt a bit less passion for the game. Probably because I was more tired than normal."

Which aspect of his play do these words reflect? "Rafael is serving badly and hasn't had continuity in any competition in 2011," explains his uncle and coach Toni Nadal. "He had problems in his shoulder while preparing for the World Tour Finals. That translated into a loss of speed and without that, and without strength, it is difficult to compete on this surface. The indoor game is bang, bang - faster. A slower game better suits Rafael. On the same court, but outdoors, there is wind, other situations that vary the play a bit," he said.

Nadal will take heart from the fact that the Davis Cup final is on his favored clay. But it's unlikely to help him improve upon the statistic that best sums up his problems: among the best 11 players, he is the one who wins fewest points on his first serve (71 percent). Nobody has exploited that better than Djokovic, who has beaten him in six finals in 2011 and broke his serve 11 times in the US Open final.

Nadal's teammate David Ferrer may have fared better in London, losing a semifinal to eventual winner Roger Federer, but he also arrives in Seville with little left in the tank. "I want to stop," said the world number five. "I'm tired. I always fight, a lot, but I am tired, and now I cannot rest, because I have the Davis Cup final."