Rafael Nadal might have lost his Australian Open final showdown to Stanislas Wawrinka, but he hasn't lost the spirit to keep going despite all the setbacks he encountered in that match.

Veteran sports writer Sean Ingle lauded Nadal's never-say-die character in his latest columni n The Guardian.

In his article "Has anyone in sport got more fight in them than Rafael Nadal?" Ingle championed Nadal's resiliency despite taking on great odds and a freak injury like what he suffered in the second set of his match with Wawrinka.

Already playing with nasty blisters on his left hand, Nadal sustained a crippling back injury that limited his mobility in his showdown with Wawrinka.

"Even Sunday's unexpected Australian Open final defeat to Stanislas Wawrinka did not diminish him. If anything, it reinforced what we have known for years: few sports stars have such natural immunity to pressure, or are able to dig so deep when the chips are down," Ingle said about Nadal, who remains one Grand Slam shy of tying Pete Sampras' 14 Grand Slam titles and four shy of Roger Federer's 17 majors crowns.

"Having blisters as broad as leprosy sores on his racket hand, as Nadal did for much of the tournament, would have given many a convenient exit strategy. The back spasms he suffered against Wawrinka in the second set even more so," Ingle added.

Setbacks couldn't derail Nadal as the Spaniard bounced back from a 6-3, 6-2 deficit to win the third set and keep himself alive for at least another frame. However, Wawrinka's punishing ground stroke attacks were just too much for Nadal's back to handle as the world's best netter absorbed a humbling defeat in Australia.

"But Nadal kept fighting, even when he was lobbing in 120km-an-hour serves like a patzer and his topspin forehand, which usually drops into court like a doodlebug, was as soft as a cushion," Ingle said.

Swift Recovery

Toni Nadal, the uncle and chief coach of Rafael, believed his nephew is expected to have a fast recovery after suffering his back injury. The elder Nadal said it's just a minor injury - tightening of muscles in the back - and the 13-time Grand Slam champ will easily bounce back from his shortcoming at the Australian Open.

"The doctor said it's a tightening of the muscles and a few days' rest should be enough," Nadal said in a recent interview with ABC News. "He went into the match after feeling twinges during the week but very minor ones that normally do not affect you at all."

"In the second game of the second set he felt a pinch. When I asked him after treatment what was happening he said, 'It's over,'" he added.