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ROLAND GARROS

May 29, 2018

Rafael Nadal

Paris, France

R. NADAL/S. Bolelli

6-4, 6-3, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. How did you experience the first set over two days?
RAFAEL NADAL: Good. It was a good match. It was a difficult match, because he played so aggressive and very well, I think.

I resisted, you know, always difficult to play against players that wants to hit every ball so hard, and even more if it's the first round.

He played well, I think, so well, playing with lot of risk but having success with all of the risk that he take.

And, yeah, I played a match that I have to play more aggressive, I know. But it was difficult today to play so aggressive being in the first round and against a player who really came on court and decided to play that strong.

Q. Did you play any differently between the end of the time when you played yesterday and the set that you concluded today? Separately, as you prepare for your next-round match, you'll have played three days in a row. Does that change anything...
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't play tomorrow.

Q. You don't? Good for you. Well, answer the first question, then. Did you play differently between yesterday and today?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, is difficult to play different, no, because as I said before, he wanted to play so aggressive. For me, was difficult to find 100% the rhythm, because I didn't have so many points that I could take the advantage and hit three, four balls with the right position, no?

I know what's going a little bit worse yesterday and try to fix it, but even like this was a difficult set, no? I saved Love-40 and 4-3, and then 6-3 in the tiebreak.

But at the same time is true that I came back with 3-All, and I had break point at the 3-All, and then I have with 4-All I have Love-30, with 5-All I think I had Love-30 again.

I had a lot of chances, too.

Q. What was going through your mind when you were set points down? How did you find the determination to win all those points and avoid dropping the set?
RAFAEL NADAL: Just try to win the next point, no? That's the only way. Just think about the next point, and try to go one by one, knowing if you lose the set, nothing happens. Match continues, two sets to one up. Still advantage and believing that the opponent have to still playing well for a long time to win the match.

So that was my thought, no? Ready to try to save the set points, but if not, just try to be ready for the beginning of the next.

Q. You played Bolelli many times, four times before today. Did he surprise you the way he played today? And a win in three sets win is always a win, but expect him to play so well, or...
RAFAEL NADAL: Today he didn't surprise me. Yesterday a little bit. Yeah, he lost 6-0, 6-2, no, in the last round of the qualify? I don't know how.

Q. He was not feeling well.
RAFAEL NADAL: Leg or...

Q. (off microphone.)
RAFAEL NADAL: Was sick? Okay, yeah. Was difficult to understand for me.

No, no, he played probably the best match against me.

Q. When I tell people I'm working at Roland Garros, tennis fans who love the sport say, Rafa Nadal is unbeatable on clay. How do you make sure that you don't become complacent and you are always competitive even when everyone expects you to win?
RAFAEL NADAL: Not gonna happen, and there is a proof that that's never happened, that I won 10 times here, 11 Monte-Carlo, 11 Barcelona, 8 Romes. If you get complacent or too confident with yourself, for sure that not gonna happy.

I was able to do all this result because I respect the sport, I respect every opponent, and I respect the competition every day. That's the reason I have success, is because I go every day on court knowing that I can win, that I can lose, and that's the sport. So anything can happen.

Q. There was a time in tennis history when many of the best tennis players said, No, I can't play that well on grass and I'm not really going to go to Wimbledon. But you went to Wimbledon, you mastered it, you won twice. Now your leading rival is not playing on clay. What are your thoughts about that? Do you think that's unfortunate? Do you miss that rivalry? What are your thoughts?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't have any thoughts about that, being honest. I just respect the decisions of the other players. That's all.

I just, as I said all my career, I just do my way. Thinking about the things that I have to do to be better player and the thing that I have to do to improve. I am nobody to analyze or to know or to create an opinion about the decisions of the others. They decide for themselves. I decide for myself.

Q. What do you think about the new warmup?
RAFAEL NADAL: New warmup about what?

Q. The new warmup this year. What do you think about this new rules?
RAFAEL NADAL: About -- I don't know new warmup. Oh, because of the clock? Was the same in Australia, really. Nothing new. No, no, no. No problem. That's all.

No, that's things that if they want to do it, I'm completely fine, no problem, not creating any impact on the game.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish.

Q. Can you tell us what you mentioned at the end of the match on the court? Slippery?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, actually, the court is more slippery than usual, and actually, I slid a lot when I started off or when I moved to another side, and it was quite complicated. There are no excuses. This is what I felt.

If you look at the images on television, you can see that there are many more grayer zones or whiter zones than other years, because there are little pebbles underneath, and that's why you don't have the proper grip on the court.

Q. You played some of the best points just after the set point at your opponent's favor. I don't know what you feel when you're really under pressure. What do you do to win the next point?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, play. I know that I have to do something to save the situation, so I go to my limits, and sometimes you can play harder than others.

Sometimes you overcome complicated situations. This set was a very complicated set, and it's true that I maybe could have concluded earlier. I had quite a few options.

But he was a very aggressive player, and he was playing really very strong. I didn't know that he was going to play so aggressively. I understood that I really had to attack, and I had to have the proper mindset, be positive, and accept how things were unfolding, and he was playing very well. There were few transition shots where I could manage to pick up my pace.

But I managed to do it, and that was the important thing today. There was a very good dynamic on all the clay circuit, and I hope I will improve and play better and better every day. Because so far the performance has been good, and I hope I will maintain the stamina here.

Today I suffered a bit, but it's behind me, and I'm really happy.

Q. Yesterday Munar and Ferrer said they were going to use as many weapons as they can, and they could be asking you for advice in the Djokovic match. What would you say after having won a match against Djokovic in five sets?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, that it's going to be very hard, very tough. The chances of winning are practically nil. You have to be very realistic knowing what the situation is, and from there go to the court and enter the court and enjoy and know that you have to do things that sometimes you're not used to doing in order to enjoy the match.

I think that that's the most important. You have to accept that the match is going to be practically impossible to win. But you don't know what can happen, of course. I have been in such situations, and I have been in matches that are practically impossible to win.

But you go and you really play very tough without worrying, without being concerned, continue to be focused but play, enjoying it, and play very bravely, because you have to know that it can be totally impossible.

Q. (off microphone.)
RAFAEL NADAL: No, my schedule is very important. I have played two days, one after the other, so I'm going to watch the match on television.

Q. The match against Pella, what are you expecting from it?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, he's left-handed. He won against Sousa. Last week was a good week. It's going to be a difficult match. I have to be prepared to play very strongly, very aggressively, and I hope that I will be able to move on the next day knowing that it's going to be a tough match.

But I will try to be aggressive and performing as I was with the important shots as today.

Q. To what extent can you get used to rain every year? We know that it rains every year. And what do you think about the way the club is being renovated up until two years from now there won't be any indoor court?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I think that any change is positive. I think that this is a necessary change, because in all Grand Slam tournaments, there are indoor courts, so I think that Roland Garros, that I congratulate for this initiative, is right. It will make the tournament even more spectacular, and this indoor court is going to be very beautiful.

There is a new part that was inaugurated that is very beautiful, as well, and I think that these are really very exciting news for our sport. I think that the clubs have to invest in the tournaments for the sport to become greater and greater, so this is a very good piece of news.

As for rain, it's part of our daily life. When you're playing outdoors you're obviously dependent on the weather, so you have to be prepared.

And sometimes you get luckier than others, so you have to be prepared to accept all the weather conditions, and you have to make sure that these adverse conditions you can adjust to.

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