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SHANGHAI ROLEX MASTERS

October 15, 2017

Rafael Nadal

Shanghai, China

R. FEDERER/R. Nadal

6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You said at the start of the week that Roger in these conditions would be a significant challenge. How do you assess tonight's final?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, of course, have been a very difficult match for me. He played very fast and he played well. I don't know how many unforced errors he make, but I don't remember. He played so well, I think.

Yeah, I could do maybe some things better, but that's it. No, no, just he played too good. That's my point of view. So congrats to him.

Q. Regardless of tonight's result, you have been playing in this part of the season better than you have played in most of your career. Is there something that you have done to adjust the preparation? Is it just that you managed to keep yourself healthy? Is there something that you have learned to basically perform better in this part of the season this year?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, I played well. That's all, no? Beijing have been a tournament that takes time for me to play well. I never liked a lot the balls there. Was difficult to find a good rhythm. I played great in Beijing this year.

And here too. I played a fantastic tournament, having very good wins. Very pleased the way I played the whole Asian tour for me, whole China tour. Beijing, Shanghai have been a very positive two weeks for me. A lot of points, a lot of victories against great opponents. I come back with very good personal satisfaction the way that I played.

Q. Roger played a great match today, but you didn't seem as comfortable maybe on the court as previous days. Was anything wrong?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, he played well. He played fast, as I said. He served huge. His serve was huge. He was returning well, no?

Yeah, of course was not the best match for me of the week. No, no, without a doubt was not my best match. No, no, that's the real thing.

When somebody plays better than you, sport is not very difficult. That's the real thing, no? When you play against somebody that is better than you in most of the things that really matters on this sport in this kind of surface, then it's tougher.

There is room to improve for me, and I gonna try. But the conditions here were much better for him than for me, being honest.

Q. You put the bandage on your right knee. Did you do it for precaution or what?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. I don't want to talk about that now, sorry, but after losing final is not the moment.

Q. After the game, the hostess said that you set up a school named for your own name, right?
RAFAEL NADAL: Sorry? Can you repeat that?

Q. After the game, the host said that you set up a school just named by your own name. So how is that going on?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yes, of course I have an academy in Mallorca. I built an academy, finished the construction one year and a half ago, and things are going well. I'm very happy that the things are going. Kids are very happy.

We have already 120 kids living inside academy. We have medical center inside. We have American international school inside, too. So we have all the things that I really believe that a kid needs to develop his tennis game, but at the same time his education for the future, no?

I think we have the right group of human people to teach them in the education and in the tennis way.

Q. This question is also about the pressure or motivation. Because you haven't get championship here in Shanghai Masters, so do you think it's motivation to you to get championship next year?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. No, no, I just play every tournament with as high motivation as possible. Would not be fair I play here with higher motivation than in Monte-Carlo because I didn't win here and I won in Monte-Carlo 10 times.

No, every time I go on court I try my best. I try to play as good as I can. Sometimes I play better; sometimes I play worse.

That's all. Shanghai is an important event. I always put attention in this event. Is true that I was not able to play as good as I would like here that often, but I already play two finals, couple of semifinals. So was not a bad event.

Q. You said many times that hard court is not the best surface for your body, for your knees, really. You played back-to-back tournaments. You've got another tournament on a hard court coming up in just over a week's time.
RAFAEL NADAL: Basel?

Q. Yeah. What are your thoughts? Are you going to be there for that? Do you hope to be?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. I don't know. Remain couple of weeks for me. I need to think about it. No, no, I cannot (smiling). I cannot tell you. Sorry, man.

Q. Can I ask you, where would you rate Roger's form at the moment as opposed to where he's been over the last decade?
RAFAEL NADAL: He's winning two Grand Slams, winning couple of Masters 1000s, being second on the race with a lot of points. Yeah, played well for the whole season.

And the good thing for him is he take the periods of rest and when he was back he was able to win. So that makes a difference, because is very easy to say, okay, I take this period of time and that works very well. Okay, yeah, that works very good if you come back, win. Because if you come back, you don't win, then for sure is not working well.

The calendars are always looking good or looking bad in terms of the results, you know. When somebody is winning a lot, looks like calendar is perfect. When somebody is losing, looks like the calendar is not good.

For this year, Roger did great in all the events that he played, so looks like he saved his body, he did the right things, yes, probably, yes, but at the same time anything could happen. And the confidence is going up and down sometimes. You can lose a couple of matches and changes everything, but of course he did unbelievable. He played very high level of tennis during the whole season, so well done for him and happy to see him play well.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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