BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL

January 6, 2024

Rafael Nadal

Press Conference

J. THOMPSON/R. Nadal

5-7, 7-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Rafa, how are you feeling after such an intense match tonight?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, tired, of course. Sad in this moment because I had plenty of opportunities. But I think he played a good match. For me, even that was not the best match, I had a lot of opportunities to win it, so...

That's it, no? Need to accept all these kind of stuff. After a year, that's normal that things happens. As I say every day: every day is a different story, and things are difficult after such a long time.

Today the opponent play well. Made me play one more ball. I didn't play bad, but I was just one ball away.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. We're all wondering about the upper part of your left leg. Tell us exactly what you think the problem was and how serious it is.

RAFAEL NADAL: Oh, I don't know. I need to see how I wake up tomorrow morning. I mean, we have been talking these last days, talking about the positive things. That's why I am not over-positive when I have been talking. I have been talking with a lot of precaution because I know after a year is difficult for the body to be playing tournaments at the highest level. When the things are becoming more difficult, you don't know how your body going to react.

I need to be open. Nothing changed for me. The way I approach everything didn't change at all. I need to accept everything how it comes. If things happens, if I have one problem there, one problem to the other part of the body, I need to accept.

Is a beginning. I didn't play a tournament for such a long time. Even without playing a tournament, is not that I am practicing at the highest level for four months, no? As I said, the last month have been quite good in terms of intensity, but is not a long period of time.

I don't know. I mean, I hope is not important and I hope to have the chance to be practicing next week and to play Melbourne. Honestly, I am not 100% sure of anything now.

Q. When you decided to play on, were you in a lot of pain at the end of the match?

RAFAEL NADAL: I mean, let's see. The amount of pain on the match is not important at all. Today the thing is I had the chance to play three matches. The opponent played well. All the credit to him, that he fight very hard.

For my side, happy the way that the week went. If that thing is not important, is a very positive week. If something is worse than what we want, then is not that positive.

But let's wait. I mean, is not the day to talk about these kind of stuff. Is the day to be happy and to congratulate the opponent. Then the next couple of days, let's see how I feel. If I don't feel well, then we going to do a test and we going to check it.

But today is the moment to be calm and to wait how I wake up tomorrow and after tomorrow, then let's see.

Q. Can you tell us where did you feel the pain? To the leg? To the right hip?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, is a very similar place to what happened last year, but different stuff, no? I feel more muscle. Last year was tendon. I feel the muscle tired. I mean, for sure is not the same like last year at all because when it happened last year, I felt something drastic immediately. Today I didn't feel anything. The only problem is because the place is the same, you are a little bit more scared than usual.

In ideal world, I mean, is just the muscle supercharged after a few days of effort and a very tough match. That's will be the ideal thing, something that we know that can happen today. That is why I'm talking all the time that my goal is to try to be competitive in a few months.

I mean, from this perspective, you don't know all the information that I have. From that perspective, the only thing that probably you see is I have been playing very well the last two matches. It's true, I have been playing well.

A lot of things can be happening in a body like my body after a year without playing tennis. So hopefully is just that, just a muscle that is supercharged. Is a normal process on that. If that's the thing, thing everything perfect.

As I said, I didn't came here to win tournaments now, no? I just came here to try to come back and do it in a positive way. It was a very positive way. Then let's see.

I really hope if the feeling on that leg is better and better tomorrow and after tomorrow, then it's perfect news. If not, as I said, we're going to do test and let's see.