	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ROLAND GARROS

May 31, 2019

Rafael Nadal

Paris, France

R. NADAL/D. Goffin

6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. What happened in the third set? Loss of concentration or...
RAFAEL NADAL: It happens. David is a great player. That's all. No, no, I played against a top player that had injuries, and he's a little bit lower in the ranking now, but when he's playing well, he's a player that already showed to everybody that he can win against every player in this world. No, no, is nothing especially happened.

Happened that in the first set I played unbelievable, I think, so, so good. Then a good second set, too. And then I had a big opportunity at the beginning of the third with that 15-40. I had a bad return in the 15-40, being honest. 30-40, his serve was out and I didn't stop. Then he had an easy winner. So that's all. No, no, nothing especially happened.

He's a good player. Is true that in the fourth he take advantage on the point with the first two balls. Serve and first shot I was in a defensive position already. So then it's so difficult to come back against a player with his talent. That's what happened.

And in the fourth, of course I had to fight again, and I think I increased a little bit again the aggressivity, and that was, at the end, the key.

Q. Apart from doing your best to win, what demands or expectations do you place on yourself when you step onto the court to compete?
RAFAEL NADAL: Play well and win. That's all (smiling).

Q. What is your approach? How do you do that? What is your mindset?
RAFAEL NADAL: My mindset is just go on court with a plan and with the ideas clear. And of course is not the same when you are playing well. When you are playing so-so, when you are playing bad, it's different approach always.

That's part of the competition, and that's the sport.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish.

Q. Even though perfection does not exist, I think that first hour or even the first few sets you played excellent tennis. And also the fourth set. What do you think?
RAFAEL NADAL: It's very difficult to analyze the fourth set from a point of view of perfection, because in reality, I was going from the third set, and it has an influence on what happened in the fourth set.

So first set and a half, I would say, it was really fantastic, incredible. It's difficult to play so well. I did everything perfectly. Serving. Almost all the time I was attacking. I was controlling the direction, the height of the ball, the width, the length of the ball. I was moving into the ball, and I was giving the impression or had hope that my opponent, he could not find anyplace to be.

After a certain time in the second set, things changed. It was a critical point. I was playing very well at some point, and at that point things change. Then the second set was a bit more balanced, I would say.

Afterwards, although I had good feelings, I knew I was starting to lose initiative. Not necessarily with my serve but with his serve. The negative part of the match is that we had points that were too negative on my side, because with his serve, he made a lot of damage.

And in the fourth set, well, we put between parentheses the 2-1 and 6-4. So 2-1 of the fourth set -- or third set, I think, he gave too many points, or rather -- well, it was negative for me, indeed, because he positioned himself in order to take the ball very soon.

And so it was difficult to come back afterwards. So I think that's what made me lose the third set, but apart from that, he's a very good returner. In reality, I broke him even during the third set. But otherwise he played very well.

Apart from that moment in the match, I played very well. I think that afterwards, he was more defensive, but it's after these first two balls but nothing more.

Q. You will play against Juan Ignacio Londero, an Argentinian player. It's the first time he plays in Roland Garros. He's already in the round of 16.
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, he plays very well right now. I think it's going to be a very difficult match, demanding, but I'm prepared to fight at a very high level.

Q. Can you talk about what has happened since Australia? It's a new serve you have.
RAFAEL NADAL: No, it's my normal serve. For a set number of weeks since Barcelona I came back to my prior serve. I needed a bit more confidence. Mentally speaking, when you're not perfectly on the spot, I had to recover somewhat.

I know that the serve I had used before the clay season, before Barcelona, I know that this serve is positive. I had served very well in Australia, Indian Wells, and Acapulco, that's true. And it gave good results.

But here, on clay, things are different. That's why I came back to my prior serve.

Q. I wanted to ask you, you already played on Chatrier and Lenglen. What do you think, in terms of playing conditions and feelings, what are the main differences within these two courts? Is one smaller? Is the surface faster on one or the other?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, it's always the same question, the same discussion, the same debate. We are talking about tennis here. It's true that both courts are big. If I have to compare Chatrier with No. 16, there is a real difference, even though the court where we play has the same dimensions, but what is surrounding is bigger or smaller. But Lenglen is a major court.

But Chatrier is a bit more complicated to play on, because the dimensions of the court are slightly different. And also how the wind comes in, it's not the same thing. This court is very huge. You can sometimes lose your reference marks.

But I have played many matches both on Lenglen and Chatrier. If you ask me the question on which do I prefer playing, Chatrier, there is no question. I feel more in control. Although I have never lost on Lenglen, either.

Q. So the other day, when he broke you twice in the third set, you said that you had lost your concentration during your match against Maden. Today, did you lose your concentration?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, I couldn't lose my concentration today. With respect to the previous day, I was 100% focused. I was able to keep the intensity.

You need to be realistic. The level that I kept during the first 45 minutes, you can't really maintain that easily. It's very difficult, because it was almost the top level, the highest level I could play.

Afterwards, when you play at that tennis level, each time you decrease your level, it seems that things crumble in some way. It's strange.

But then today I played against an excellent player. So, well, the match of today is very positive. I won a victory against a very difficult opponent, one of the most difficult opponents for fourth round. Played very well for a long time.

There was a small short moment where I was not so good, but I already explained that earlier. But he broke me, he broke my serve, at a key moment I made one error, and from that moment on, I had to start again during the fourth set, and luckily I was able to win the fourth set.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297