I forgot this was Madrid, the tournament with the higher altitude. This is the tournament that Rafa has "only" won four times as opposed to Monte Carlo and Barcelona which he's won nine times. No need to panic. In retrospect, the semifinals are OK.
I agree. it is a good loss if there is such a thing.
we do know that he is tired so this can prevent an injury anyway.
Yeah, at least it gave him an extra one or two days to rest and rejuvenate. I don't have much hope for Rome, but any time he gets to rest and work on his game before RG will be a blessing, so I don't care about this tournament. Get a matches and then go and work towards RG. That's what I would like to see.