Madrid: Rafael Nadal said his performance in 2011 was often too predictable, and he sometimes lacked drive on court - weaknesses he plans to overcome in 2012.
The world`s No 2 men`s tennis player will get an early jump on those goals at this week`s Mubadala World Championship in Abu Dhabi.
"With the years, you lose a bit of intensity," he told the Spanish newspaper, El Pais.
"Intensity in your self-belief, concentration, being positive, believing things will go well - those are in the mind."
Nadal, 25, led Spain to a fifth Davis Cup title and won the French Open this year.
But he lost in the Wimbledon and US Open finals to Novak Djokovic and surrendered his No 1 spot to the Serb as a result.
"My mind was good in the first half of the year," Nadal said, then added that he was "bad" towards the end of the year and "very bad" when he crashed out of the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
"It [2011] was not a complete disaster, but I did not win because I was too anxious," Nadal said.
"I tell myself: `If I do a bit more I will be nearly back to winning anything again`, [and] that is the motivation. Recovering the extra will that makes you give a bit more of yourself."
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, December 28, 2011, 09:36