Spaniard upbeat after flirting with worst Slam effort of career

Rafael Nadal did not look for excuses after a limp Australian Open exit to Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals on Tuesday - one of the worst Grand Slam performances in the Spaniard's long career.

The world No 3 crashed out 6-2, 6-0, 7-6 (5) against the Czech seventh seed he had beaten the last 17 times they met.

He narrowly avoided tumbling to his worst Grand Slam result on the number of games won. He won only six games against Juan Martin del Potro in the semifinal at the 2009 US Open.

Nadal also had the embarrassment of a bagel in the second set, his first at a Grand Slam since against Roger Federer in the 2006 Wimbledon final.

These are low points that do not sit comfortably with the proud 14-time Grand Slam champion, one of the fiercest competitors in men's tennis.

Asked about his 'so-so' match, Nadal quickly corrected the reporter: "No, not a so-so game today, I was very bad. You can say that, no problem.

"I am feeling OK, it was just not my day. I didn't play with the right intensity, with the right rhythm, and the opponent played better than me.

"In sport, there will be a time the opponent plays better. I helped him a lot in the beginning.

"It's easier to play well when you are up in the score, one break up, two breaks up from the beginning of every set. That's a big deal, a big difference."

Nadal, who has in the last six years not added to his only Australian title in 2009, looked out of sorts and his serve was broken five times, along with firing six double faults.

He could only muster 24 winners and made more unforced errors (26) with the third seed not able to convert his four break point opportunities.

"I am not very happy because I didn't compete the way I wanted to compete in the first two sets and that's something that I don't like," he said.

Despite losing Nadal, who entered the tournament following a three-month injury layoff, said he would take some positives out of the first Grand Slam tournament of the season.

"Without being at my top level of tennis I was able to get to the quarterfinals," he said, referring to the right wrist injury that kept him out of action.

"It's not a bad result at all for me after arriving here with having played only five matches in seven months.

"So that's the positive thing that I have to take. That it's just the beginning of the season and I want to keep having chances to compete well against everybody.

"I need to keep working the way that I am doing to be ready for the next tournament."

Losing streak ends

The loss ended a record-equaling 17-match winning run Nadal had over Berdych, who claimed his second consecutive semifinal appearance in Melbourne after losing to Stan Wawrinka last year.

Only Bjorn Borg over Vitas Gerulaitis and Ivan Lendl against Tim Mayotte had chalked up 17-match head-to-head winning streaks on the ATP Tour.