ROME: Rafael Nadal resumed his criticism of the ATP, in particular its president Etienne de Villiers, after his second round exit at the Rome Masters on Thursday.

Last week following his victory in Barcelona the Spaniard slammed the ATP over its crowded fixtures schedule, claiming the compressed 2008 clay-court season is sure to take a physical toll on players.

Following his second round defeat here, Nadal said the “impossible” calendar was responsible for a current foot injury which almost forced him to pull out of the tournament.

“The calendar is impossible. Last week in Barcelona everybody was asking me how I feel about the calendar and everything,” he said.

“I said it would be impossible for me to play well for four weeks in a row. They told me I had already been playing well for two weeks. I said, ‘yes, but in a few days you will see why it’s impossible’. Finally they see it’s impossible,” the Spaniard added.

Nadal stressed that he was not speaking out against the fixtures issue to vent his frustration at being eliminated. “Right now it’s not the moment to speak about that because I lost and when I lose people always think it is an excuse for why I lost,” he added. “So I spoke about this in Monte Carlo and Barcelona when I won. When I lose I don’t like to speak about these things.”

He said it would be a waste of his time trying to convince De Villiers that a change to the calendar was needed. “It would be stupid to lose more time trying to fight.”