Juan Martin del Potro has admitted that Rafael Nadal deserved to beat him in the final of the BNP Paribas Open.
The Spaniard fought back from a set down to claim his third title at Indian Wells with a 4-6 6-3 6-4 triumph.
Del Potro had overcame tough three-set encounters in the previous two rounds against Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, but dismissed suggestions that he was suffering from fatigue.
"Rafa deserved to win," the Argentine told reporters. "He played unbelievable for like an hour there.
"The last hour of the match he didn't make errors. He played so solid and put me so far to the baseline to make winners from there.
"I played three sets against Murray then three sets Djokovic. I think my body was okay. He just played better in the end and he deserved to win."
Nadal has revealed that he will not take part in next week's Miami Masters.
Written by
Michael Penkman
Michael Penkman
