“My goal is to get back to my level and be competitive against the top players again and today I was very competitive against one of the best players in the world,” said Nadal. “The match wasn’t far away from me. He played well and I played well too. The match was very close to win, but I think he served very well in the third. I want to congratulate him for the victory and I had a lot of quality things in my game and mental side to take away from the week.”

• Federer Defeats Nadal to Win Seventh Basel Crown (via Tennis Now)

Completing his first Basel final, Nadal elicited some laughter thanking Federer’s hometown fans afterward. “It has been a very emotional week; all of the matches a lot of fight,” said Nadal after dropping to 3-3 in 2015 finals. “I believe it has been a great important week for me this year but at the same time for the future…Every day it has been huge support. Today, a little bit less, but I understand.”

• Rafael Nadal anxiously checked his $850,000 watch during Roger Federer’s victory speech (via USA Today)

Anyway, Nadal was half-listening and then when Federer went into fluent French, the Spaniard lost complete interest. So, as people are wont to do when they’re bored, he checked the time. Except when we do it it’s on a $300 iPhone, not an $850,000 Richard Mille watch. And it’s also not broadcast to an international audience.

• Is Rafael Nadal, Despite His Loss To Roger Federer, Posed For A 2016 Comeback? (via Forbes)

But can he be good enough to be No. 1 again? Can he resurrect himself enough to make Djokovic a legit rival again?

“No, because at the moment we’re way too far from him,” Toni Nadal said. “First we need to get the game back, and then we’ll be able to be competitive with everybody. But let’s not forget that you have young guns coming up now too, so it won’t be easy. Yet, if you’re mentally strong and you still want to be out there, then it will always be possible.”

With Federer, the resurrection of his career, while improbable, was certainly possible. With Nadal, it remains to be seen. But for those who want to see the Spaniard rise once again, there now is hope. He’s not winning tournaments, but he’s getting ever so close.