Madrid, May 11 (QNA) -The two time Madrid Champion Rafael Nadal lost to Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in the Madrid Masters late on Thursday to be his first loss to Verdasco in 14 matches on clay. Nadal blamed his first loss on blue clay court calling it soft and slippery. "Being able to move is very important for me and if I can't move well, I can't hit the ball well either," He said.
Nadal seemed frustrated and threatened to skip next year's Madrid Open if the blue clay wasn't discarded. "I never was in control of the match, I didn't know how to win a point." said Nadal, "If things don't change, this will be one less tournament on the calendar for me," He added.
Verdasco, the seventh player to beat Nadal on clay in eight years commented "After losing so many times against honestly the best player on clay ever, to beat him on clay is the maximum"
Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, meanwhile, eased into the quarterfinals with straight-set wins. (QNA)