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INTERNAZIONALI BNL D'ITALIA

May 17, 2019

Rafael Nadal

Rome, Italy

R. NADAL/F. Verdasco

6-4, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What was different about the beginning of the match? How did you find your way into it and settle down?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, the beginning of the match have been good. But he was playing great, being honest. I was not playing bad at the beginning at all. But he was playing unbelievable. No mistakes, a lot of winners, taking the ball early. Was a very difficult first set. Was one of the first sets that I am more happy with.

I think I had a good feelings during the whole match. Then after winning that first set, in the second I was able to -- of course he slows down a little bit, but I was able to play a little bit more aggressive with the forehand. I did a lot of things well this afternoon. I am very happy to be in semifinals again. Is a good victory.

Q. As you know, Roger Federer withdrew from the tournament. Also Osaka left the tournament. Do you think too much play yesterday was too much for the players?
RAFAEL NADAL: That's how it works sometimes, no? That can happens in outdoor conditions. That's part of the game. I am very sorry for Osaka, especially sorry for Roger. Will be great to have the chance to play against him here in that semifinals. But I going to have another very tough opponent in front like Tsitsipas.

The two matches in the same day, you have a risk. When that happens, of course there is more risk than with one match.

Q. You played against Tsitsipas last week in that three-set match. When you have an opponent that you've played so recently, are you looking back at that match with your team trying to analyze what happened or are you looking at what Rafa can do to win it?
RAFAEL NADAL: What happened, I know. The solution, I know. The execution is not easy (smiling). The theory is always easy, but the execution is much more difficult.

Tennis is a simple sport. After a lot of years here, I know what happened last week, and I going to try to do it better tomorrow.

Of course you talk with the team about every match, every condition, every win or every lose. But being honest, I know what happened and I going to try to do it better tomorrow.

Q. Tennis is easy, but we still always ask about are you surprised how you find your condition match by match every time. Are you surprised, you are used to do it, but is very good to improve your form match by match? You do it for many years. Every time you play, you play better and better.
RAFAEL NADAL: All the good players plays better and better during the tournament. Is normal. If you want to win or you have to win, you need to play better every day. Every day the opponent is tougher.

So for me personally, is always confidence, every victory is confidence for the next one. That's it, no? Tennis is not easy. I mean, the sport is difficult. As I say yesterday, win is very difficult. But the game by itself is not very difficult to analyze if you know about tennis, no?

Is a chance for me tomorrow again to play a good match against a tough opponent. I am excited about it. That's all, no? Is a good news I have been able to be back again in semifinals. Another three straight victories. I have been in that round during the last five events. First one I didn't have the chance to play, Indian Wells. The next three, Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, I lost in this round of semifinals. But be there all the time is a good news. That means you have a good level of tennis.

I have to hold the level or increase a little bit more. If that happens, I going to have my chances.

Q. The beginning the clay season in Monte-Carlo, how much are you satisfied now of the quality of your game?
RAFAEL NADAL: I say yesterday, I will not compare every day the previous weeks. What happened in Monte-Carlo happened. What happened in Barcelona happened. What happened in Madrid happened. Here we are. We are in Rome. That's a different event.

The good thing, if you want to talk about the past, is during the last month, my feeling is every week was better than the previous one. That's always a good thing, not only because being better I have better chances to win, but especially because like a professional player and for my personal feeling, when you advance, when you feel better every week, is something that is a good personal satisfaction because the work after a tough period of time, you try to be there all the time doing the right things, and when you see yourself being better and better every day, that's important personal satisfaction for me.

Q. Are you surprised at all of how fast Tsitsipas has been rising to the top since a couple of years?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. Is normal that some young players are there. What is not normal is don't have young players there. Stefanos is a good player. Every year we make prediction with the team which player is going to be at the top 10 at the end of the season before the season start. I put Tsitsipas there.

I don't say that because I am a genius, no. I say that is because was a clear candidate to be where he is. He started even better than what I expect. Here we are. He deserve to be where he is now. That's it.

Q. Has it been nice having your Uncle Toni here next week? Will he be with you here in Paris?
RAFAEL NADAL: He's not here any more.

Q. He was practicing a bit with you.
RAFAEL NADAL: He was in Monte-Carlo, too. He was in Madrid two days. He's always very welcome when Toni wants to come. Is a pleasure. As always, I always say, Toni knows me probably better than nobody, know my game, too.

By the way, I talk with him very often. Is nothing new at all. If he wants to come to Paris, he's always welcome. Positive help for me when he is around. Always the same for me. It is always good to have him.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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