ROLEX PARIS MASTERS

November 1, 2020

Rafael Nadal

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. This tournament is one of two back to back that you have not yet won, and I'm looking forward at the ATP Finals you have qualified every year for 15 years but have not won it. I'm wondering, why is that tournament in particular so difficult for you and will you definitely play this year?

RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. That's part of the game. In some places you have more success and others a little bit less.

Yeah, is true that of course at the end of the year in the past I arrived sometimes very tired physically and sometimes mentally, too.

And at the same time in indoor courts I need to be fresh, I need to be in full conditions, no? Is probably the surface that I need to be playing better to try to have success.

Is true that here in Bercy I had a lot of issues. I had to retire from the tournament a couple of times.

But in the world finals I have been there a lot of times in semifinals and final a couple of times. I didn't win. It's a tough tournament to win, playing against the best players in the world under difficult circumstances.

I don't know. I'm going to keep trying my best as I did all my tennis career and I hope to give myself chances.

Q. Welcome back in Paris. The last time we had you in the press conference it was after your victory in Roland Garros, and you wasn't sure to play the indoor season, wasn't sure to play in Paris, to play in London. What led you to take this decision to play the indoor season starting in Paris? Can you confirm you will be in London, as well?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yes, that's my schedule, no? As I say, I didn't confirm after Roland Garros because my goal was to play there and to be there under my best conditions.

Then I didn't make any plan after that, so I needed to come back home and speak especially with the team and at the same time with the family, too.

So we make decision together with the team and we thought that the best schedule possible for today and for the future. Is true we are living under unpredictable and difficult circumstances, so difficult to plan a lot of things. So I am just trying to be flexible and adapt myself to the conditions.

Q. You have won the French Open this year and you had only played one tournament in the previous seven months. Might that be the way you approach your schedule next year and in future, to play fewer tournaments before the Grand Slam?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I like to play tennis, so I like to play a little bit more than two tournaments every six or seven months, no? (Laughter.)

I don't know. But this year worked well. It was not the ideal situation. Of course normally you need to -- I like to play a little bit more before important tournaments but not because of the important tournament going there, no? It's because I like to play tennis, I like competition and that's what I do, no?

So is nothing new that I played well after a while without playing tennis. I did it in the past. So that confirm that I can do it.

But I hope next year we can have a more usual calendar and I can play some more tennis.

Q. Could I just confirm, are you playing in London?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yes. If nothing happens here, yes.

Q. Can you just talk about the importance of the ATP Finals, the history and what you think about it moving to Turin next year?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, yeah, is part of the history of our game. Is an important event and is a party of the best players of the season, no?

London have been a big success, I think. We enjoyed a lot playing in the O2, have been great atmosphere, great crowd. And moving to Turin, I'm sure that will be another success because the Italian fans are at heart enthusiastic, and I'm sure that will be another beautiful success.

Q. You have already mentioned that you had some injury problems in the past in Paris-Bercy. Does this make you fear a little bit that something like this could happen again, or you just go in the tournament like any other?

RAFAEL NADAL: When I go to a tournament, I don't think about this kind of stuff, because if I think that way, I will not be playing (smiling).

So when I go to a tournament, I just focus on try to play my best tennis. Not worries about if I got injured in the past that can happen again. I don't know. Hopefully not. It's true that we are in different circumstances than previous years.

But always you need to, yeah, you need to take care about the situation and you need to be ready for accept any inconvenience, no?

But I am here to play my best and not to think about injuries, hopefully not.