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ROLAND GARROS

June 4, 2018

Rafael Nadal

Paris, France

R. NADAL/M. Marterer

6-3, 6-2, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. How did you experience this match, especially the first few games?
RAFAEL NADAL: We cannot analyze the match for two games (smiling).

The match in general terms have been positive. The beginning have been a little bit not positive (smiling). But then after the 2-Love, 6-3, 6-2 been very positive 12 games for me.

Then in the third, I had the chance at the beginning to have the break and probably take an important advantage to close the match but didn't convert it, and then had couple of mistakes with my serve, and then I suffered with a tough third set. I stopped a little bit the legs in terms of playing aggressive.

After that, of course the match became more equal, and he's a good player.

Q. I hear you're 32, just turned 32. To me that's still very young, but do you feel old in any way? Have there been any changes you have noticed about yourself in the past couple years?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, I don't feel old. I don't feel myself old. But I am 32, and I am here around since 2003, so it's a long way, a lot of years.

I started very young. That's a real thing. But, no, I feel happy to be here. Being honest, I am enjoying the day by day on the tour and I hope to keep doing this for a while.

Q. We always talk about what a great player you are on the clay court. But is there something about the City of Paris and the atmosphere at Roland Garros that also helps to inspire you to play your best tennis here?
RAFAEL NADAL: I never like to be arrogant at all. I don't want to have an answer that looks like this. But being honest, I won 11 Monte-Carlos, 11 Barcelonas, 8 Romes. So it's about the surface, not only the place.

Q. To ask you about an opponent who you could play in a later round, John Isner, who you played a tough match against here in 2011. What do you think about how he's playing, having won a Masters title, and what kind of match, if you do play him, what kind of match that could be?
RAFAEL NADAL: You will not be here on Wednesday? If that happens, we can talk about that. I am here to be focused about Schwartzman, that he saved an amazing match this afternoon. He's a great player, had a tough match against him in Australia this year, so I'm not thinking about the semifinals before the quarterfinals.

But I can answer the thing about John, I always thought that John is a player that he has the potential to win big tournaments with this serve, and he has a good shot from the baseline, so he has everything to win important events.

Only thing is you need to make it, and he did it this year in Miami and he's playing well.

Q. You were practicing with Maximilian here five years ago, I think.
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't remember, sorry, but yes.

Q. When you see someone come up and rise up the rankings and establish themselves as a good player, does that make you happy after you've practiced with them as a junior or do you pay attention to that at all?
RAFAEL NADAL: I try to follow tennis, but I used to follow more when I was younger (smiling).

But I like to follow the young players, no? But I cannot remember about all the practices that I had and with all the players that I played in the practice.

But is good to see him playing that well. He has a good potential, I think. Good shots to become a great player.

He had a great tournament here, so I wish him all the best. Is good to have new players coming that have positive energy and play well. Yeah, was good to play against a young player here, yeah, in the fourth round of Roland Garros, in the center court.

I think was a good match. For me was a great victory, but probably for him have been a great event and positive experience.

Q. Do you feel that you're still waiting for your big test here in Roland Garros this year?
RAFAEL NADAL: My big test is every day. Today was important test. I am in quarterfinals. And the biggest test now is the next round.

I go day by day, and I am not worried about if I had a test or I don't have a test. I just worry about try to be at my 100% for the next day that I have to play. That's my goal. And I know if I make that happen, if I'm able to play with my highest intensity and with the right level, will be always a tough match, but I really believe that I can have my chances to keep going.

But is like every day. You go on court. You can win; you can lose. That's the only thing that you need to be ready for.

Q. When you get to a quarterfinal of a Grand Slam, and as you have previously a semifinal and a final, do you change your preparation and your practice in any way as the tournament develops, or do you stick with the same practice and the same preparation for every game no matter what?
RAFAEL NADAL: I work the things that we believe that we need to work for for be playing better every day.

Some days you feel that something have been better; some days you feel that something have been worse. So you need to every day try to work the things that you believe that you can improve more. That's all.

But not because I am in quarterfinals or in second round. No, no, I just work every day with the goal to be better for after tomorrow.

Q. Why is it do you think you're so good on clay? Is it from your childhood? Why have you had this sort of dominance on this surface?
RAFAEL NADAL: Is not true that I born on clay (Laughter.)

Everybody thought I practiced on clay all my life, and is not true. I practiced a lot on hard court when I was a kid. I practiced on clay, too, but a lot on hard.

Being honest, my uncle prepared me to be a player, probably not typical player of clay, but then the things comes to the other way. And on clay is true that during all my career my game adapted very well to this surface and I had an amazing success.

Honest, I had success in all the surfaces and I worked hard to be the best player possible in all the surfaces.

But is true that on clay what happened on clay is something, yeah, very special.

Q. To ask you then about Schwartzman, what do you think about his rise and what do you remember from the Australia match, which was tough, that you can apply to your quarterfinal here?
RAFAEL NADAL: I played against him in Madrid a couple of weeks ago, too, no, no, no. No need to go that far. He's No. 12 in the world. It's a match against one of the best players of the world today, so what you expect is a very tough match and you need to be ready to accept that's going to be a tough match and fight for it.

I know what I have to do. Then is tough to make that happen, because he's so good. But I hope to be ready to play at my best, and let's see what's going on.

Always is a tough player and is always good to see him in the quarterfinal because he's a good friend, good person. He's a worker, and I happy to see him having all this success. Hopefully not too much (laughter).

Q. A bit off-topic. You have been to No. 1, stayed there, lost it, came back. What would you say it requires to get to that spot and stay? Does it require special mindset, planning, or not?
RAFAEL NADAL: I didn't follow that number, you know, being honest. I just tried to play my best every day and just tried to be competitive. Then if you are No. 1 is because you played better than the others during the last year. That's it.

This year things are going well again, but to fight for No. 1, let's see what's going on later on the season, no?

But I didn't play for three months so is big advantage for the opponents. I really don't think much about it. When I was a kid -- was a kid -- when I was younger, 2008 was important for me to be No. 1, being honest, because I feel that with all the things that I did until that moment being very, you know, regular, stays very --

Q. Consistent?
RAFAEL NADAL: Consistent, doing a long time, in some way I felt that I deserved to be there at some point. But later, I really had to take a little bit more care about physical issues, just to protect a little bit more the things and try to choose the right things to play.

And when I was No. 1 is because I played so well. Not really because I wanted to be No. 1. But of course, I love to be No. 1, is not something that I plan or is not my real goal at this stage of my career, no doubt about it.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish.

Q. I know that 900 victories are a lot, and it's difficult to choose. If you were to pick the ones that were really important to you...
RAFAEL NADAL: Do you mean that I have won 900 times with today's match?

Q. Yes.
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, it's difficult to say, but I could name a few. Obviously Davis Cup 2004 was important to me.

Then Rome against Coria, it was a special moment. And then maybe Wimbledon 2008, Australia 2009. French Open 2010, as well, and US Open 2010.

But quite a lot of them were important, but 2013 was also a very moving moment. Then maybe Roland Garros last year for what it meant for the match maybe, which was maybe not such a moving match. But those finals remain in my mind.

Q. The time when you weren't playing, did you use it to rest, to do things? Because you seem to be much fitter or fresher this year.
RAFAEL NADAL: No, I'm not fresher or fitter this year. I was okay last year. Not to say fitter last year, but what did I do? Well, to be honest, I was really annoyed. Obviously you're fitter and rested when you rest for your pleasure. But when you rest because you're forced to rest, in fact, you can't really rest properly because you have a lot of time of physiotherapy, I couldn't play golf or many things that I enjoy doing I couldn't do.

I like to do a lot of activities. In between tournaments, I like to watch series and rest. But when I'm at home, I like to be active, as well. And honestly I couldn't do much, because in view of my injury, I couldn't do all the things I like to do.

So I don't think it was a real rest mentally or the reverse.

Q. It's quarterfinals. You always say that you need to improve as the tournament goes by. If you could improve something, what would you like to improve for the hopefully three matches you still have to play?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I'm not thinking about three matches. I'm just thinking about the next one. I believe that I played well at some points or maybe I could improve the intensity of my game and remain aggressive throughout the match, because today I was okay until 6-3, 6-2, and I was dominating quite a lot of points.

But in the third set I was staying back. Well, you always have to work when you play with good players. You have to take the initiative, try to control the points. But all matches are complex.

Q. You prepared Roland Garros with Diego. Now you're going to play him in the quarterfinals.
RAFAEL NADAL: No, I practiced 45 minutes with Diego. I played with him at the academy, but I'm never going to invite him again, because every time he comes, he comes out much better (smiling).

And he was practicing. I'm not going to tell you a story where there is no story. I played in Rome, I practiced on Wednesday 45 minutes with him, but that's about all.

But I'm happy to see Diego here. It's his second time, and he seems to feel okay. And I hope I'll continue being operational and that we can prepare more.

We only had three days together at home and I had to rest.

Q. The player is not that well known. You played a young unknown today. Was his game similar to yours?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. He's got a very good potential. He's got strength on both sides, powerful forehand. He's able to play strongly and with a margin of mistake. When he plays the net he has the power necessary to get winners when necessary. He serves well, whether the first or second serve. He's quite a complete player. And he's got a backhand which is a bit flatter than many others, which is something I didn't know.

But I hadn't been able to see so many matches that he had played, so I didn't know in the beginning. He does everything well. He's tall, and he manages to dominate some points, and to keep the initiative, and then he was doing well.

But he's strong, and I believe he's got a strong potential for the future.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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