He said: “I knew before the match that I needed to work a lot physically, to work my tennis. It’s not [that] I’m playing badly or I’m not good, but I’m not yet feeling good for matches like that.
“This is the mirror of where I am now. You have to go through times like this with bad matches, with bad first rounds in a Grand Slam, because I need to play a few matches to renew the feelings you look for in a match.”
The 37-year-old – who misses out on a round two match-up with Rafael Nadal – added: “I started well and it was a good first set but unfortunately it was disappointing to lose. Unfortunately this is the reality of how I play at the moment. I need training, a lot of work.
“I am playing well but not at the level for matches like that. This is the reality unfortunately of where I am. The frustration does not come from a comparison of my past level but because I know I could have done more and that some things did not go well.”
