QATAR EXXONMOBIL OPEN

February 19, 2025

Fernando Verdasco

Press Conference

HELIOVAARA-PATTEN/Djokovic-Verdasco

7-5, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Congrats on a great career. So my question is about, how do you see tennis evolution from the day you started tennis until the day that you retired, and maybe what is your fondest memory?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, thanks, for sure. Of all things, obviously, I mean, it's hard to see one memory, no, when you have been on the tour for 25 years, I think. I became professional in 2001, so 24, 25 years now, I don't know, I lost the count.

Obviously there is so many memories, good, bad. At the end, special memories, I said, like two days ago after the first round, that obviously the Davis Cup titles with my country, the title in Barcelona in 2010. But then obviously I had amazing victories over my career, no, with the best players in history. Actually, the only one that I couldn't beat was Roger. It's true that we played each other less times, I played less than with the rest of the Immortals, like we call them.

At the end, you know, obviously beating Rafa, beating Novak, beating Murray, beating all these kind of players during my career, they were like the biggest victories, no, that I had, and the biggest victories that I take with me forever. A part of that, you know, for me it's actually really nice to have this last tournament, this last official tournament, because as I say couple days ago, I was actually already decided to don't play any more after not playing Madrid and Barcelona last year.

Then, all of a sudden, this opportunity came out at the end of last year and it was for me like a present, no, to be able to play with Novak, and in Doha, that is where I live and where I've been living for the last 10 years.

So I'm really happy. It doesn't matter if I lose in first round, second, third, because for me it was just the experience to be sharing with Novak my last tournament and playing together and playing here, so that's the most important thing for me.

Q. I want to ask you about your historical match against Rafa in Australian Open in 2009. Do you think if you could have won that match, it's, in my opinion, one of the best matches in tennis history, do you think if you won that match your career could have changed?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I mean, if then I beat Federer in the finals, yes, because then you have a Grand Slam title, and then I think that, once you win a Grand Slam title, your life change and your career change, no.

Like the other day, I think Mark Philippoussis said it, no, that the runner up of a tournament, no one remembers, they only remember the winners, no.

So if I beat Rafa in that match in semis, and then I lose with Roger in the finals, I don't think it change a lot, to be honest. It would have changed if I won the tournament, no.

But that was the toughest part of my generation, no, that to win a Grand Slam or to win a Masters Series you have to win, you have to beat two or three guys, these guys that they have been the best in history together.

So, let's say, for example, in Australia I beat Murray, Tsonga, they were four in the world, five in the world, and then I have to beat Rafa, one in the world, and then Federer who was second in the world. So imagine how tough it's like to win one Grand Slam in those years, you know, for someone like me or someone like similar to me in the rankings, no. Or like when I did finals in Monte Carlo with Rafa, I beat Berdych and I beat Djokovic, but then I lost with Rafa in the finals.

So, in the end that was the toughest part of my generation, that you were playing against the best three players in history together, and normally in the biggest tournaments you have to beat them all, because it was crazy. I was always, 2009 I was, from the beginning of the year until Cincinnati I was, Cincinnati was the first one that I lost before quarterfinals, in all the Masters I played. In all I lost with these guys, you know, I was quarterfinals with Rafa, quarterfinals with Roger, or quarterfinals with Murray.

So at the end, obviously it was a bit discouraging, but once you see the careers these guys had, and that now they are the best in history in the matter of Grand Slam titles, far away from Pete Sampras that was the best one before my generation, obviously you see that, you know, that I was losing with the best in history, no, with good player.

So, at the end, I'm very proud to be part of this generation of this extraordinary players and to be able to share with them all my career during these 20, 25 years. So, yeah, I mean, I was actually talking with Novak today, you know, thanking him to play with me. He was thanking me to share, to choose him to play with him the last tournament. We always had a great relationship, and we were talking, like who would have tell us, when we play Cincinnati together for the first time as a couple in 2006, you know, 18 years ago, that we would be retiring in Doha in 2025. So, you know, I think those are the great things of sport, and in life, no, the memories, that they stay there forever.

Q. Can you tell us about the story of behind the hand sign you do with your brother, I think?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: My friend, my friend.

Q. And you do it in the last match with Novak.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yeah, yeah, because obviously that sign became pretty famous during my semifinals match with Rafa in Australia. There are pictures still on the internet. My friend was in that match as well, and we had that sign, you know, of like, instead of like the normal fist, we were like doing this (indicating) like energy kind of, like we were saying like "energia, energia", kind of like sending us energy and like, you know, like a pumped, you know.

Obviously, in that match it became like really, really famous, that sign. And then obviously, like Rafa and Novak and Roger and all of us, that we had like really good relationship as well, we were always like kind of like joking, but also doing it, no.

So there is actually one video that I was recording Roger in Dubai in 2016, if I'm not wrong, he was practicing with Bautista. And then it was second serve, he step on court and he make that down the line backhand winner. And then I was, like, What energia in that return, Roger. And then he looks at me and then he started laughing, and he started doing the same sign.

So they knew that sign and it was something like, you know, that actually was significant, and the players knew. So obviously when I told Novak that my friend was coming for the last tournament, and we saw each other and everything, we were already saying it, and we were like, You know, if we win, we have to do it and dah, dah, dah.

We were like joking about it and, you know, it's good. There are different things that at the end it stays there, and I think it's always nice to have those things and have the friends that I made over all these years on the tour, you know. Because, at the end, we were rivals, but we were also friends and that, like I said, is what it, actually after tennis is you still have a life. You still, like Novak have his kids, I have my kids, Rafa has his kids, Roger have. But it's also nice to have that friendship that you build over and over the years and that keeps us together. So we were talking also like to maybe meet in Marbella soon, or to maybe meet somewhere else, or maybe he's coming back to Doha. So that's the nice thing, you know. At the end, the tennis career for everybody ends, but the friendship stays forever, so that's what really matters.

Q. You talked about the Immortals of tennis, but how do you see the young guns, the guys like Alcaraz or Sinner or what do you see?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Everybody says no that at the end, even, I think, I don't know who said it, like few days ago as well, that at the end now Alcaraz and Sinner are like the, I think it was Novak, actually, that Alcaraz and Sinner are like Roger, Rafa, and him, you know. At the end they are the two biggest guys now, above the rest. But they are really young, they're one and two in the world, and obviously they can lose with another great players. But you can see them a bit above the rest, and you can see that they are the guys that they will be more likely fighting for the big titles over and over again. And even more when Novak retires, I don't know, maybe this year, maybe next year, whenever. At the moment they are the two guys that they look that they will be fighting over and over for every Grand Slam, no. Because a great player is also there, like Stefanos, like Medvedev, like Rublev, all these guys have been there may be for even a bit few more years than Sinner and Alcaraz.

But it's like you can see that these two guys are made of something a bit different, you know. It's kind of like Roger, Rafa, and Novak, you could see back in the time that these guys were a bit different from the rest, you know, so that's why they were like winning all the big titles, Grand Slams, at least, Masters maybe. But that's why, you know, and I love actually the way that they both play. I have good relationship with both.

Let's see. You know, they always ask me, Do you think Alcaraz is going to win the same Grand Slams as Nadal. I'm like, Listen, who, I mean, what I can say is that it's almost impossible, because actually to win 22 Grand Slams, you don't need to be so smart, it's just that you have to be winning like two, three Grand Slam every year for like so many years.

So as soon as you have like maybe a surgery or maybe a physical problem, it makes it almost impossible, you know. Like the average of these guys of be winning Grand Slam year after year after year is, it's unbelievable, it's out of this world.

So, obviously, for me it's hard to, if you tell me they will win it, now days when they are like 21, they have three, I see a long way to get it, you know, but who knows.

I think also 20 years ago if you asked me Djokovic is going to have 24 and Rafa 22, I will tell you no chance, like impossible. And they have it. So I think in sports the records are there, and to break them, you know. And they will be always, like even if it's too hard, I think it's going to be always someone coming that they might break them. So, it's hard to bet on that, because obviously it's so difficult, but I will never say no it's impossible because I think there is nothing impossible. Unless you tell me, no, win 90 Grand Slams, yes, obviously. But it's really, really difficult.

I hope that Alcaraz, as a Spanish player, he can be like many, many years there on top. He's a good friend. I actually was talking to him yesterday trying to convince him to come to Doha, to live in Doha with me, in Qatar, so then we can share things here and live here. Same as with Joselu, the football player from Real Madrid, that he came to play, and we are all day together. He obviously love Real Madrid as well, Carlos. And he's a good friend of Joselu as well, so we are, Joselu and I, are trying to convince him to come and live in Doha with us.