AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 28, 2022

Rafael Nadal

Press Conference

R. NADAL/M. Berrettini

6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Do you feel that the first two sets today were the best you have played so far in the tournament?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, probably, maybe yes, yeah. I think I played well against Denis too. Against Karen I played two great sets too.

But yes, today against a difficult opponent, a great opponent, one of the best of the world I was able to play I think at a very high level for a long time.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. Congrats on reaching the final. You have spoken a lot about doubts that you had in your recovery. I'm wondering, was there a particular moment where you were able to overcome that doubt and you thought I'll be able to come back and reach the stage that you are today?

RAFAEL NADAL: No. No, doubts are, yeah, have been, yeah, have been very tough six months, honestly. In terms of life, I mean, I can't complain at all, and especially during the times that we are facing with plenty of people dying around the world, no? Of course my months are not tough at all comparing to a lot of families that lost a lot of people. That's tough in life, not what I went through, no?

But in terms of personal thing, yeah, because of course every day have been an issue in terms of problems on the foot. Doubts still here. Honestly, no, as I said the other day, I mean, the doubts gonna be here probably for the rest of my career, without a doubt, because I have what I have and that's something that we cannot fix.

But for me it's amazing, and I'm super happy to be able to compete for the last three weeks at the level that I am doing. Not only about tennis, that's for sure. It's surprising for me to be able to play at the level that I am playing, but just compete and play tennis at the high level again, facing the most important players of the world, for me, it's something unbelievable, no?

As I say, I am not creating history, no? One month and a half, I don't know if I will be able to be back to the tour, because we were not able to solve any problem.

So here I am, and thanks life for it. That's it.

Q. Related to that, does all you have been through over the last few months allow you to come into the final where there is a lot of history weighing on it with a different attitude, a freer, more perspective than maybe before?

RAFAEL NADAL: Can you repeat that?

Q. Just the fact you just talked about how difficult it's been for the last few months, you feared you wouldn't even be here, so does it allow you to have a different perspective and be freer going into this huge final?

RAFAEL NADAL: For me it's something completely unexpected, so I am super happy. Of course everybody knows me, and I always gonna try my best. Of course my goal now is to win.

As I said, for me, it's a present, just be here and play tennis, no? I am taking now the things a little bit in a different way. Of course always with competitive spirit that I have, because I can't go against that. It's my personal DNA. But in some way, I don't know, just be what I am and be able to have the chance to compete at this level, it's a positive energy for me to keep going, because at the end of the day, and being very honest, for me is much more important to have the chance to play tennis than win the 21, no? Because that's makes me more happy in terms of general life, no, to be able to do the thing that I like to do more than achieving another Grand Slam.

At the end of the day, the life, it's about happiness and what make me happy. It's about just have the chance to do what I like to do.

Q. You have been returning from closer to the baseline for the majority of the tournament. I was wondering, in your words, why you decided to do that, how you felt doing it, and also, what are the challenges of doing that compared with when you return from further back?

RAFAEL NADAL: I try, depending on the moment of the match, I try different things. At the beginning of the tournament, I think I returned far back from the baseline. Today I was returning very close to the baseline for a long time. In the game that I had break in the fourth, I came back again to few meters behind the baseline.

I don't know. At the end it's about creating some doubts on the opponent, too, changing the position, because if not, the opponent get used to the position and we need to choose the right moments to make the right decisions.

I think today worked well. I think at the beginning I was returning great from inside, taking advantage, and I was able to not give him the chance to play from his forehand from covering the backhand. That's something that he likes a lot, so I was able to play very well with my cross backhand against his forehand, and then of course with my forehand cross and changing down the line. I think tactically I played well.

Of course I got a little bit tired in the third and he started to play great too. Then he had more chances to control the point from closer position from the baseline, no? But that's normal. Am playing against a great player, and it's impossible to win the way that I was playing the first two sets.

Q. Obviously we don't know who you're going to play yet, but could you just talk a little bit about Daniil and Stefanos?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, different styles of game, but best players of the world. If I'm not able to play at my top level, will be simply no chance.

Let's try. I mean, today is a day to enjoy, and tomorrow we're gonna start thinking about what I need to do, knowing which opponent we are gonna have in front.

But of course change a little bit, play against one or the other. But one thing not gonna change is that I need to play at my highest level.

Q. You said on Eurosport that you feel alive again. Just wondering, can you talk a bit more about that, how much it maybe scared you that you might not be able to come back from this injury and the feelings that an epic win like this...

RAFAEL NADAL: I feel alive in terms of my tennis life, you know, in terms of my tennis career.

In my personal life, I honestly have a good life. I feel lucky that family is healthy, and during these challenging times that's everything, no? More important than tennis, for sure, no? 100%.

But, yeah, I explained before, no, for a long time I wasn't able to practice. Sometimes I went on court and I was able to practice 20 minutes, sometimes 45, sometimes zero, sometimes two hours, but have been very, very rough in terms of imagine myself playing at the best-of-five at this moment.

So, yeah, I don't know. Super happy. Is true that I worked hard for a long time every single day in terms of when I was not able to play tennis I was working hard on the gym. So I think I never gonna say I deserve, because a lot of people deserve. But I worked the proper way, and I hold the positive spirit and attitude to have the chance to give myself a chance to be back.

Q. I know you don't like to judge yourself by statistics, but when you look at the six players who have won each slam twice, I think it's three men, three women, you know, what do you think that says about a player who can do that?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I had my chances in the past couple of times already. 2014 and then of course 2012, 2017. I mean, it's something difficult, of course. If just a few people did during the whole history of this sport is because it's something very difficult to make it.

Yeah, I'm happy that I gonna have a chance. But for me, at the end, it's about, more than all these statistics, it's about be in the final of the Australian Open one more time. That means a lot to me. To me it's more important to be in the final of the Australian Open and fight to win another Australian Open than the rest of the statistics that I know for the sport, maybe for the history of the sport, and possibly for you are very important, no?

But as I said, I really feel like this, no? For me, I just feel happy to be part of this amazing era of tennis, sharing all these things with another two players. That's it. In some ways it doesn't matter if somebody achieve one more or one less, no? I think we did, everyone, we did amazing things and things that will be very difficult to equal each of us. So, yeah, I don't think much about this, all this stuff.

Q. You had some emotions, looked like some tears after match point. I was wondering what was going through your mind in those moments.

RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. As I said, no, I went through a lot of challenging moments, a lot of days of hard work without seeing a light there. But still working and still receiving plenty of support from my team and from my family, too, without a doubt.

Yeah, I mean, a lot of conversations with the team, with the family about what can happen or what gonna happen if the things continue like this, thinking that maybe is a chance to say good-bye.

So, I mean, that was not a lot of months ago (smiling). To be able to be where I am today, I don't know, I really can't explain in words how important is for me in terms of energy, in terms of personal satisfaction, in terms of being very thankful for all the support that I received from the fans and especially from the people really close to me.

Q. You have spoken about how the numbers such as 20 or 21 are not so important to you as much as the joy that you get of playing. But how would you describe the feeling that you get of winning these majors? You have done it 20 times. How has it evolved for you from No. 1 to No. 20? How might it feel for No. 21?

RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. Still very far from the No. 21, no? I mean, every single one is very special, because every one have a history behind, history of hard work, and every single one have an special history by itself, and especially in my case that I went through a lot of injuries in my tennis career, no? A lot of them you know and some of them you don't.

So, yeah, I mean, I enjoyed. I always think that when I have going through very tough moments in terms of injury that have been more than what I would like, in the other hand I always put in the balance all the positive things that I was able to enjoy.

So winning, it's special, yes, but winning without all the work that you have behind of course is not the same. If the things are easy, I mean, don't have the same value. In my case, I think I have been able to enjoy it probably more than the other, because for a lot of times I was close to not be able to do it again.