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INTERNAZIONALI BNL D'ITALIA

May 16, 2019

Rafael Nadal

Rome, Italy

R. NADAL/N. Basilashvili

6-1, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What is the difference between 6-1, 6-Love and 6-Love 6-1?
RAFAEL NADAL: Has been a different kind of match. Has been a very positive day for me. Of course, yeah, was a day that playing two matches is very dangerous day. I was able to manage it well. I played well, especially I think in the afternoon better than the morning.

Yeah, happy about that level in the afternoon.

Q. How much did you know you had to be extra efficient today with two matches? Obviously your scoreline looks like you were focused on conserving energy today maybe.
RAFAEL NADAL: I try my best. Doesn't matter if it's one or two matches.

Q. Can you describe what was your day like yesterday, the mindset, the fatigue of having to wait.
RAFAEL NADAL: Yesterday was a long day. Is true that tough thing when we have to come back to the hotel was crazy traffic, 1 hour 30 to be back to the hotel. It was tough.

That can happen in outdoor tournaments. Need to be ready for it. That's all. Just trying to be patient, try to be ready for the day. That's all the thing that we can do.

Q. Do you feel better feelings than Madrid or same?
RAFAEL NADAL: I have been improving every week I think. I don't like to compare. We will not be every day comparing what happened today, what happened last week, yesterday or two weeks ago.

Have been a particular clay court season for me. I had some tough period of time. Has been little bit difficult to hold the body and the tennis level for every day. I just try.

Being honest, have been not perfect for me, but have been positive that I was in three semifinals in a row. Even if I was not able to manage to win that matches, my personal feeling have been improving during every single day.

Here I am, quarterfinals again tomorrow against a great player that he played two great matches today. Will be plenty of confidence. Another chance tomorrow to play against a great player and to try to play a good match.

Q. It's the first time you are arriving in Rome without having won a tournament. Even if you did well, you're not used to that. Was there a worry in a way?
RAFAEL NADAL: Worry in which way?

Q. I don't know. Were you not too confident or afraid to not be well physically enough or you were worried to have no time to recover quickly?
RAFAEL NADAL: That's sport. That's sport.

Q. But is the first time for you.
RAFAEL NADAL: Doesn't matter. I mean, I am not worried. I am just trying my best every day. We cannot be talking every week about this. In Madrid was the same question. Few days ago: The first time you come here without winning a tournament. If I don't win here, in Roland Garros will be the same. If I don't win in Roland Garros, in the next tournament will be the same.

I going to try to win a tournament. If I don't manage to win a tournament, that's life, that's sport. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. The only thing that worries me is be happy and try to be healthy. If I am healthy, I have more chances to be happy.

You win, you lose. I always try to accept both things with calm, with normality. That's it. I going to try my best to be ready for tomorrow and give myself a chance to play one good event here. When I finish here, I'm going to try to try my best in Roland Garros.

If my chances are a little bit less in Roland Garros than usual because I didn't win a tournament - I don't know if your question was that way - we will see. In 2015 I was able to win a tournament, but my personal feeling was much worse than in 2019. Of course, I didn't win Roland Garros.

That's it, no? Is not all about titles. Is about personal feelings. My feelings are improving. If I am able to improve or keep improving, I hope that I going to keep having chances to have success in the matches that I going to have here or maybe in the next tournament.

Q. Next match you have Verdasco. You know him very well. Are you surprised that he didn't win something more, more success in big tournaments? Do you have any opinion about why he's very strong physically? Great game, left-hander like you, good serve. Why he is not winning more?
RAFAEL NADAL: Because win is very difficult. That's the thing. Win tournaments and win important things is very difficult. Fernando have an amazing potential, but there is plenty of players that play very well out there. Win tournaments is very, very difficult. He had some chances to win important events, and that's it.

He's always tough. He is a great player. He's a very dangerous player for everybody when he's playing well. He's having a great tennis career.

Look, there is a lot of players that have been great players and didn't win a slam or didn't win a lot of Masters 1000. Last week we said good-bye to David, that he had an amazing career. He was able to win one Masters 1000 after being a brutal player for 10 years.

Is difficult.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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