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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 19, 2018

Rafael Nadal

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

R. NADAL/D. Dzumhur

6-1, 6-3, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What was your day like, how did you prepare for the match, whether the match met your expectations?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, no, was a good match, of course. When you win 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 in the third round, is always a great result, no? Without playing well, is impossible to have these kind of results. So happy for that. Happy to be through, yeah, fourth round. Already is good news.

Yeah, my preparation was normal. Just wake up, gym, coming here, having some warmup in the gym, then some warmup on court, had lunch, played some Parcheesi. That's it, that's all.

Q. Did you think your form was this good coming into the tournament? Did you think you were playing this well when you arrived?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know, no? I didn't think about when I arrived how I going to be in two weeks. I am already two weeks and one day here. I just try to go day by day.

I needed hours of court, hours of practice, hours of playing sets with different players. That's what I did. I think I did a good preparation here. I felt myself playing well. That's all. Here I am. I am in the fourth round. That's because I am doing the right things. Let's see how far I can go.

Q. What is your opinion about having players going out there when it's 40 degrees?
RAFAEL NADAL: My opinion that is not safe enough sometimes, you know? But is not the only place. That's the real thing. Have been very, very tough conditions yesterday and today. Yeah, sometimes is too much and can become little bit dangerous for health. That's the real thing. It's not nice to see players suffering that much on court.

But there is one positive thing, only one: was not humidity, was dry. That's make a big difference. Even if is very warm, still very tough. But in my opinion is tougher, for example, Rio de Janeiro than here, because the humidity there is crazy and almost the same heat.

That's the only positive thing. The rest of the things are very negative to play in that conditions.

Q. Do you think is big advantage to play at night in cooler conditions, and there should be a balance on who should play in the night and who in the afternoon? We have the impression some players only play at night, and some others play any time.
RAFAEL NADAL: Being honest with you, having one day off, doesn't make a big difference. You are in the same conditions than your opponent. If you have to play the next day, playing during the day or playing during the night, probably will make a difference. Having a day off I don't think will make a difference for the next day.

In terms of competing that day, is dangerous because you can lose sometimes the control of your body when it's that warm. But you are in the same conditions than your opponent.

Playing day or night? Of course, there is players that plays more on night.

Q. Because they sell more tickets or other reasons?
RAFAEL NADAL: You are here since a while, no (smiling)? You know the same like me why there is player that play the night and others play the day. There is television, there is tickets to sell, there is players that achieve more than others. That's why some players plays in prime time and other ones don't play in the prime time.

That's easy to understand. It's not about fair or not fair.

Q. How do you think the game has changed the most during your time playing?
RAFAEL NADAL: Hmm. In my opinion, there is less work inside the point. Before the players was trying to play one ball there, one ball there to finish the point. Since couple of years ago, I feel that the tour became little bit more crazy in that aspect, no? People are going for the point quicker than before. The players are returning faster than before, going for the winners since the return. From the baseline, at the minimum opportunity, peoples goes for the shot, no?

We used to wait for the right ball to go for the winner. Now you go for the winner even in not very good positions.

Q. What challenges does Schwartzman present for you?
RAFAEL NADAL: He's a great player. He's a player that last year had an amazing year, and this year start again playing so well. So already won three matches here, playing again at very high level. He's a very complete player.

Being honest, he's a player that if I don't play my best, probably I don't going to win. He's a player that have all the shots, big control from the baseline, don't miss much. He's able to change directions easy. He's a player that already played the quarterfinals in the US Open. He's already in the fourth round.

Tough one, and I need to play my best.

Q. Have you seen the Hollywood movie "Battle of the Sexes"?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. Sorry, but I didn't see.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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