Rafael Nadal has admitted that his game is being marred by "too many nerves" following his shock Miami Masters exit.

The former world number one was beaten 6-4 2-6 6-3 by Fernando Verdasco in the third round of the competition.

"He deserved to win more than me without any doubt tonight," atpworldtour.com quotes Nadal as saying.

"My game in general improved since a month and a half [ago], but at the same time, [I'm] still playing with too many nerves in a lot of moments, in important moments.

"I was anxious on court - I wanted to be there. I tried in every point, but I was not able to relax myself, calm myself."

Nadal has suffered from numerous injuries over the past year.