Rafa Nadal angered by 'bullsh**' marriage question after ATP Finals defeat by Alexander Zverev
(CNN)Rafa Nadal rarely loses his cool on the tennis court, but his patience was soundly tested after losing in his ATP Finals opener Monday.
After
defeat by Alexander Zverev in London, Nadal appeared taken aback as a
reporter questioned whether his recent marriage to longtime partner
Xisca Perello had contributed to his loss.
Nadal and Perello were married in Mallorca, Spain last month having been together for 15 years.
"Honestly, are you asking me this?" Nadal shot back after the 6-2 6-4 defeat. "Is this a serious question or is it a joke?
"It's
a big surprise you're asking me this after being with the same girl for
15 years, having a very stable and normal life. It doesn't matter if
you put a ring on your finger or not."
Nadal and Xisca Perello tied the knot on October 19.
Tension then increased in the press conference when Nadal turned the line of question back on the Italian reporter.
"How many years have you been with your (partner)?" asked the Spaniard, drawing laughs from the reporters.
"We move to Spanish, because that's bullsh**," he concluded. "Thank you very much."
Demanding improvement
Nadal was playing his first match since an abdominal tear forced him to withdraw from the Paris Masters earlier this month.
Zverev opened his ATP Finals title defense with victory over Nadal.
Zverev
controlled the encounter from the start, breaking the world No. 1 twice
in the first set and again at the start of the second on his way to a
straight-sets victory.
"I did not feel pain in the abdominal at all," said Nadal.
"We
can find reasons or excuses, but at the end of the day, (what) really
matters is I need to play much better in (the) two days after tomorrow.
That's the only thing."
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