Rafael Nadal insists he is happy with his 2010 campaign despite missing out on his maiden ATP World Tour Finals crown.
Nadal was overpowered by world No.2 Roger Federer 6-3 3-6 6-1 in Sunday's final of the season-ending showcase at London's O2 Arena, but insists he is content with his achievements this season.
The world No.1 claimed the final three Grand Slams of the year, including his first US Open, and regained the top ranking after an injury-riddled 2009.
Nadal described 2010 as the most emotional of his career, and credited his April victory in the ATP World Tour Masters event in Monte Carlo - which snapped an 11-month drought - as the catalyst for his incredible year.
"When you spend 11 months without a victory, when you pass some difficult moments, you really know how difficult it is to win a tournament - how difficult it is to be competitive every week," Nadal said.
"There have been a lot important moments for me during the season. I think it was a very emotional season."
"There were difficult moments in the beginning, but after a tough time, I was able to play with ambition all the season and I managed to have chances to win and keep winning."
"Once I won the first tournament in Monte Carlo, everything was easier, all the pressure and anxiety left and I started to play really well."
Nadal denied he was tired in Sunday's final after his marathon three-hour semi-final against Brit Andy Murray on Saturday, preferring instead to credit Federer for his incredible display in London this week - in which Nadal was the only man to take a set off him.
"I think it is not the right moment to talk about that (fatigue)," Nadal said.
"The thing is everybody saw the match yesterday, so everybody's free to think his own opinion."
"But I'm not going to say I lost the match because I was tired. What I'm going to say and what I feel is I lost the match because I played against a very good Roger Federer on one of his favourite surfaces."
"When he's playing like this, it's very difficult to stop him. I had chances, but not enough."
"This was a fantastic week for me - beating four top-eight players in the same week on a difficult surface for me. I think that's never happened in the past."