Spain's Rafael Nadal admitted he was beaten by the better man after in-form Nikolay Davydenko earned his fourth title of 2009 on Sunday with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 victory at the Shanghai Masters.
Spain's Rafael Nadal admitted he was beaten by the better man after in-form Nikolay Davydenko earned his fourth title of 2009 on Sunday with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 victory at the Shanghai Masters.
"He played better than me today," said Nadal, the top seed and World No 2. "But that's tennis. I will certainly be back next year to try and win here."
The Spaniard had few regrets despite his second loss to Davydenko in a Masters 1000 final after Miami in 2008.
"I'm still happy, I don't like to lose but I had my chances. I think I played a very good match. This was the first time since my injuries that I was competing 100 per cent against a top player.
"My attitude and my physical condition were fine, it has been a very good season for me. I'm still working to better my game and I still need to find the calm which will help me win matches."
Four-time Roland Garros champion Nadal has now lost his last two finals, the previous one in Madrid to Roger Federer five months ago.
Conversely, Davydenko has been on a roll since overcoming ankle and foot injuries in the early part of the year which kept him out for nearly three months.
The World No 8, who lost a final here a year ago to Novak Djokovic when Shanghai hosted the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup, finished up a sweep of the tournament top two having put out Djokovic in the semis.
"It's been a miracle," the 28-year-old Davydenko joked about his recent success. "I've beaten Nadal in two Masters finals, maybe that shows something.
"I've won 18 titles in my career and I find that amazing."
Nadal was unable to get an early lead in a 75-minute opening set, which Davydenko earned in a tie-breaker after losing a break.
"I thought I was losing my chances when he broke me back," said Davydenko. "I was just trying to hold him off, wondering how long I could stay in the match."
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