Rafael Nadal did not mince words after his 6-4, 7-6(6) loss to Fabio Fognini on Thursday at Barcelona. A week after sounding so hopeful about his performance at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, the Spaniard was dabbling in despair after falling to Fognini for the second consecutive time on clay.

Barcelona: Fognini Stuns Nadal on Red Clay in Barcelona

“I played a bad match, there is no question about it. I wasn’t able to be aggressive, I made more mistakes than usual and wasn’t able to make the most of the advantage that I had at some points,” Nadal said of the loss.

He added: “Right now all I can do is accept a situation that is obviously a serious blow, especially after the confidence I gained in Monte-Carlo. I can either accept this or die, and since I want to keep playing I can only learn from this experience and work even harder. All I can say is that I need to improve and I’ll do everything I can do be back on my feet again.”

It’s not the first time the Spaniard has been reeling after a surprise defeat at the tournament that he once owned (he is an eight-time champion). Nadal was shocked at Barcelona last year when he fell to Nicolas Almagro in the quarterfinals, and at the time pundits were saying the loss could be portending Nadal’s demise on his beloved clay. But Nadal rallied to win the Madrid title and finish runner-up in Rome before galloping off to his record ninth Roland Garros title last June.

This time, however, Nadal seems more disturbed by this year’s loss, almost alarmingly so. Normally so balanced, humble and hopeful—positive rather than brooding—Nadal was borderline negative about his situation on Thursday. That, coupled with his admission of a loss of confidence after this year’s Miami Open paints the portrait of a Nadal that is out of form, low on confidence, and questioning whether or not he will be able to slide out of this funk before Roland Garros rolls around.

Of his form, he said: “Both my forehand and backhand were awful, I just didn’t hit the ball with strength. My strength comes from my forehand and if my forehand is vulgar my way of playing is vulgar… forehand was in no way worthy of my ranking and my career. I am deeply ashamed and frustrated, such a performance cannot happen again.”

Next stop, Madrid. And, despite all the frustration, Nadal did express hope that he could make the changes necessary to bring him back to dominant form.

"I will keep working,” he said. “I am convinced that this situation of ups and downs I have had since returning from injuries, sooner or later, will come to an end."