Nadal ready to take time out after Queen's loss

Top seed Rafael Nadal was ready to hang up his racket for a few days after his run at Queen's Club ended in the quarter-finals on Friday.

The world number two has had a hectic couple of months and having arrived in London straight after his victory at the French Open last Sunday, he wanted to make the most of his early exit from the Wimbledon warm-up tournament.

"I need to go back home," Nadal said following his 7-5 7-6 defeat by little-known Frenchman Nicolas Mahut.

"In the last two months, I've been home for maybe two days. I need to get away from tennis, play some golf, watch the end of the (Spanish) football league, have some fun with friends.

"I need to put the racket far away from me for two days. I would have loved to play the semi-finals or final here but it was not possible. So the positive thing is I'm going to have a little bit of time at home."

Nadal, who became the first man since 1980 to capture a hat-trick of Roland Garros titles, was undone by the superior court coverage of an inspired opponent ranked 106th in the world.

Nadal squandered numerous chances to break at 5-5 in the second set and once he was taken into the tiebreak, Mahut steamed ahead 7-0 to claim a famous win.

Despite his premature exit from the tournament, Nadal was hopeful it would not hinder his chances at Wimbledon. Last year he went on to reach the final at the grasscourt grand slam after succumbing in the quarter-finals at Queen's.

"Adapting to grass in one week is always difficult," said the 21-year-old. "If you play good at Roland Garros, it is very difficult to prepare well for Wimbledon."

Semi-finals: Roddick vs Tursunov 6-4 7-5; Mahut vs Clement 6-3 7-6.