An interview with Rafael NadalROGERS CUP
July 21, 2008
Rafael Nadal
TORONTO, ONTARIOTHE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. What did you do in the first days after Wimbledon?RAFAEL NADAL: Well, going to Stuttgart, pulling out after going to Barcelona for see the doctor. Finally I arrived if Mallorca at 12:00 in the night.
Q. Do you think your life changed in any way since Wimbledon?RAFAEL NADAL: I don't think so, no.
Q. Roger said he had only had about five days hitting since Wimbledon, that he'd taken a lot of time off. How much practice have you done? Have you gotten back on the court earlier, later?RAFAEL NADAL: Roger said he only practice five days before here?
Q. Yeah.RAFAEL NADAL: I start last Monday, so Monday, Tuesday. Wednesday I fly to here. Four, five days, six.
Q. How long does it take to adjust to hard court for you?RAFAEL NADAL: You never know.
Q. No?RAFAEL NADAL: You never know. But I think it's no problem, no? The problem is I played a lot of matched instinct the last few months. But I think I am ready for play on hard court, no?
Q. Were you surprised at the hero's welcome you got in Manacor when you came back from Wimbledon?RAFAEL NADAL: Well, it was a surprise, no? I know Wimbledon is very important tournament, but few weeks ago I won in Roland Garros. It's similar and doesn't happen the same, no? So it was a little bit different.
Q. What was your favorite shot at the Wimbledon final?RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. It was a lot of good points.
Q. Now that you won the French and Wimbledon back to back and played in that epic match at Wimbledon, should you now be considered the man to beat in tennis?RAFAEL NADAL: I don't think so, no? First of all, I never going to say something like this from me. Second, I don't think so, no?
I am playing a good season, but if I lost the final of Wimbledon the season doesn't change too much. So I happy how I'm playing, but still No. 2 and still with the same motivation for continuing improve my tennis.
Q. I presume you want to be No. 1 though, correct?RAFAEL NADAL: I think nobody don't wants to be No. 1. I wants to be No. 1 for sure, but right now I don't want to be No. 1. Right now I only want to play a very good tournament here in Toronto.
Q. With the Olympics coming up, how would you compare an Olympic medal compared to a Grand Slam trophy? Same sort of level or...RAFAEL NADAL: A little bit less, no? For us the Grand Slam is different than -- I think Grand Slam is special for the tennis. Olympics is very important. Probably after Grand Slam going to be one of the most important things, no.
Q. You said you're ready to play on the hard court, but is there something in your game that you have to improve to be better on this type of court?RAFAEL NADAL: I can improve my game in every surface, no? On clay, grass, hard, indoor, every place I can improve, no?
On hard I can improve for sure. But right now the important thing is try to continuing play at the same level like the last few months.
Q. You know that Federer has a lot of points to defend now, so you're in a better position because you have less points to defend. You agree with that?RAFAEL NADAL: I have less points to defend, but normally he plays better than me on this kind of surface. He did very well for the last five years in this tournament, no?
So it's nothing new for him defend a lot of points. That's the true, no? But last year I played semifinals here, well, in Montreal; I retired in Cincinnati in third round; at the US Open I play in fourth round.
But in the end of the season I did well, no? Quarterfinals in Madrid, final in Paris, too, and semifinals in Shanghai. I think both we have to defend. He has to defend more than me, that's sure. But he's more favorite than me in this kind of tournament.
Q. Have you had a chance to see much of the city of Toronto since you arrived?RAFAEL NADAL: Not much. It was raining yesterday all the day so waiting for the match, waiting for practice. Today I'm here for practice. Maybe in the afternoon. I don't know.
Q. Have you met any of the Spanish people that live around the city? It's not a big group in Toronto, but there is a pretty big Spanish contingent.RAFAEL NADAL: No, I don't know.
Q. Roger said he didn't watch the Wimbledon final afterwards. In what many people called the greatest match ever played, have you had a chance to watch it since you won? And if you have, what did you think of it?RAFAEL NADAL: I only watch some points, no, some repeats on television. But I don't watch the final.
Q. If people say this is one of the greatest matches ever played, aren't you curious to sit down and watch it? When you're playing it you think one thing, but watching it you might see something completely different. When you're involved in something that's that special that people say might be the greatest match ever, aren't you curious to sit down and maybe watch to see what you might see that you didn't feel when you were playing it?RAFAEL NADAL: It's difficult to compare for me, no? Happy and thanks everybody who say something like this from one match who I play it, no? But I don't see all the matches. I am young, so they know better than me if one of the greatest matches of the history.
I don't like to say nothing about this, no, because I really don't know.
Q. But when John McEnroe says something like that...RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I say thank you very much to John for say something like this.
Q. You're playing doubles here with Robredo in preparation for the Olympics, I assume. Talk about how much focus you're devoting to that.RAFAEL NADAL: I am focused on singles, no? Doubles, well, I going to try my best for sure, but it's different, no? It's a little bit more practice for try to play well in Olympics.
But, you know, I have a lot of matches this year, maybe 63 singles more and some more of doubles. So it's a lot of the matches. I going to try my best, but especially on singles, no?
Q. Are you eager or anxious to play against Roger Federer again?RAFAEL NADAL: If I am interesting?
THE MODERATOR: (Through translation.)
RAFAEL NADAL: I will love to play against him. If I do I going to play in the final. Going to be a very good result for me play in the finals here, no?
Q. Who do you like better, José Calderón or Jorge Garbajosa?RAFAEL NADAL: I think both are very good, no? I think we are the best team of the world in basketball, no?
Q. How are you feeling physically? At this time last year I think your knee was bothering you a little bit. How is your health now?RAFAEL NADAL: I'm feeling well, no? Just working hard for continuing be without problems. You know, the calendar this year is, well, unbelievable. Very, very tough.
You know, we don't have time to adapt to hard court. The body needs a little bit more day to adapt for start very slowly, but we don't have time for this adaptation this year.
Well, I have to change from clay to grass very soon. Well, just one day. I didn't stop -- last week the first week I stop in probably six months, so it's a lot of the matches.
Q. Did you notice a difference when you didn't do anything for a week? Did it feel better?RAFAEL NADAL: Probably the first day is worst, because when you are playing the body, the normal feeling for the body is play.
But when you are coming back after one week, the first two days you feel worst than before. Later probably is a little bit better, no? Mentally for sure it's a little bit better.
Q. How do you feel psychologically right now? Are you exhausted after all that?RAFAEL NADAL: Oh, I'm feeling well. I happy, no? I having my best season in my life, so just if I not feeling well right now I never going to be feel well, no? Just happy because I played my best tennis ever, no, the last months.
Q. So you don't feel tired or exhausted right now?RAFAEL NADAL: I feel well. I feel well.
http://www.tennis-x.com/story/2008-07-22/h.php
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Sujet: TMS Toronto 2008 
Jeu 10 Juil - 16:48
