(CNN) -- Rafael Nadal admitted his knee injury continues to "bother" him after the Spaniard suffered double defeat in the final of the singles and doubles tournaments at the VTR Open in Vina del Mar, Chile.
The clay court event was the former world No. 1's first tournament in seven months due to an injury to his left knee, which caused him to miss both the U.S. Open as well as the Australian Open.
"The knee is still bothering me, but you have to face adversity with the best possible face and look forward to keep working and enjoy what I like the most, to play tennis," said the 11-time grand slam champion told the ATP World Tour's website.
Despite his discomfort and a 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 loss to Argentina's Horacio Zeballos, Nadal stressed the positives he had taken away from the event having played nine matches in six days.
"A week ago we didn't know how the body would respond," the 26-year-old Mallorcan. "[Now] at least I know we can compete at a certain level.
A little after 6 p.m. on a breezy midweek summer evening in Vina del Mar, Chile, Rafael Nadal walked on to the clay court at the 2013 VTR Open after a seven-month injury absence that had many fearing for his career. The whirling click, click, click of cameras and shouts of "Rafa! Rafa!" echoed around the venue as the 11-time grand slam winner walked across the court tight lipped and unsmiling, waving half-heartedly at the crowd. Rolando Santos was there for CNN with his camera.
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"I think that was a positive week... I will try to keep improving my physical sensations day-by-day, which is the most important thing because I don't feel that my tennis level is bad. I need more time on court.
World No. 43 Zeballos picked up his first career Tour title and became just the third player to beat Nadal in a clay court final, following in the foot steps of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
It was only Nadal's fifth defeat in 41 clay court finals.
"The tennis is important, but for me the best thing was to have the feelings I've had this week, with a full stadium and one of the best crowds I've ever had in my life," added Nadal. "It's a place I won't forget because of the love people gave me.
"I was two points away from winning the title, but I said from first day that the result was not the most important thing, although I would've liked to win.
"My opponent won, he deserved it and I congratulate him. Still, to win four matches in a row is good news for me."
Nadal and Argentine partner Juan Monaco lost the doubles final to Italians Potito Starace and Paolo Lorenzi.
This week Nadal will continue his rehabilitation in South America, where he will be top seed at this week's Brazil Open in Sao Paulo.
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After receiving a first-round bye, Nadal drew the tall and muscular Argentine Federico Delbonis -- the kind of opponent that has often given him problems.
Seven months after a shocking second-round loss at Wimbledon, Nadal still had more questions about his future than answers despite coming through a doubles match the previous day.
Nadal's first volleys were less than impressive and it was Delbonis that took the first two games. The world No. 5 was tentative and rusty.
It was as if as more attention was focused on Nadal's knee than his play. The crowd sucked in their breath and winced whenever the Spaniard slid on the clay court or landed hard after a serve.
About a half an hour into the match, Nadal chased a ball sideways across the court and slid on the clay surface but kept his balance. The look on his face as he came to a stop was a five-second blur of emotions. He looked wide-eyed at his knee as if expecting pain or a problem, before a trace of a smile crossed his face. He turned towards his opponent, his body language signaling "game on."
Late in the match, as the shadows covered most of the court, a heckler shouted, "How is your knee Rafa?" The stadium responded with a loud and angry "Shhhh!" at the breach of etiquette. Nadal responded in his own way with a cannon-like serve.
At the end of the match Nadal smiled, enjoying the applause and letting affection from the crowd and the moment sink in following his 6-3 6-2 win. He later went on to reach Saturday's semifinals.
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