"This is a tiny bit not good, but this attitude is why he’s still successfully competing" - Tennis fans react to Rafael Nadal vowing he would 'die' to reach high level again in 2023

Rafael Nadal looked far from his best self once again, losing his second consecutive match in straight sets in the 2022 ATP Finals. However, the Spaniard vowed to come back stronger, declaring that he would "die" to ensure he finds his highest level of tennis again, drawing a range of reactions from tennis fans.

Nadal lost 6-3, 6-4 to Felix Auger-Aliassime on Tuesday, owing to a sudden drop in level after being the better player for the majority of the first set. He has now lost four consecutive matches on tour.

A lack of match time ever since Wimbledon has hurt his chances towards the end of the season. Speaking after the match, the Spaniard stated that he has certainly not "forgotten" how to play his best tennis and just needs to recover the lost touch. He then promised to work as hard as ever to scale great heights again.

"I don't think I've forgotten how to play tennis and how to be strong enough mentally. I just need to recover those positive feelings...I don't know if I'm going to reach that level again, but I don't have any doubt that I'm going to die for it," Nadal said in his post-match press conference.

Tennis fans reacted to the Spaniard's assessment. While many lauded him for his fighting spirit, a few others were concerned.

"I know this is a tiny bit not good, objectively speaking. But this attitude is actually also why he’s still successfully competing and winning against all odds at age 36 and a half," a Twitter user wrote.

"Oh he’s going to have a strong season again!" another fan expressed.

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:

Rafael Nadal's year-end World No. 1 hopes crash after ATP Finals loss

Rolex Paris Masters - Day Three

Rafael Nadal was knocked out of contention for a spot in the semifinals of the 2022 ATP Finals after Casper Ruud beat Taylor Fritz later on Tuesday night. Ruud's win means that the Spaniard does not even have an outside chance of making it to the next stage. He had to win the ATP Finals this week to overtake Carlos Alcaraz for the year-end World No. 1 ranking.

Meanwhile, the Spaniard himself declared that while ending the year as No. 1 would have been an incredible achievement, he would never consciously attempt to achieve that goal again at this stage of his career.

"Of course, finish the season as World No. 1, it's a great achievement," Nadal said in his post-match press conference. "Would be an amazing achievement at this stage of my career. But on the other hand, I say that I will never be following that goal again."

The 22-time Grand Slam champion will end his ATP Finals campaign on Thursday with his final round-robin match against Ruud.