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INTERNAZIONALI D'ITALIA

May 14, 2006

Rafael Nadal

ROME, ITALY

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English or Italian, please.
Q. (Through translation.) Was it tougher this year or last year against Coria, and which one gave you more satisfaction?
RAFAEL NADAL: (Through translation.) Well, I think both matches were very tough. Also there were I think only eight minutes difference. They were very long matches.
Federer is maybe tougher to beat because he's a different player. He's quite aggressive and he serves very well. Not that Coria is not a good player, but Federer has another style. If he hits a good serve and he comes in with his forehand, there is nothing you can do. In fact, I was lucky that when he had matchpoint he made a mistake with two forehands, one which was quite simple for him.
Q. Of the matches you've had against Roger, is this the most satisfying win because of the quality of the tennis today?
RAFAEL NADAL: Today is very emotive match, emotional match maybe. Final, good level, no.
But in both time, maybe I play better in Monte-Carlo. But is different, different match. I think is different match because Federer play not the same like Monte-Carlo. He change. He play very good with his backhand, and in Monte-Carlo he had mistake. With his backhand, he playing very good. With forehand, always same, no, unbelievable. And the serve, he was serving better, the second serve especially, much better here than in Monte-Carlo.
So is different. Is more difficult for me play against him here. I am very happy with the two weeks, no, but this one is special. Is five hours, six minutes. All the time final here in Rome, my sixth Masters Series for me. So unbelievable for me, no, I am very happy.
Q. (Through translation.) You went down in history today because you equaled Vilas' record, which was held for 29 years. Is it something a player thinks about before playing or not?
RAFAEL NADAL: (Speaking Spanish.)
BENITO PEREZ-BARBADILLO: He said it was obviously an emotional plus for him to beat this record. Obviously, it's going to be very difficult to do it again. Actually, "I don't think I'll do it again," said Nadal.
It's always something extra you have when you go on court, to think about it. Obviously, the most important thing was to win the Rome title.
Q. It must make you very proud, though, to have won that many matches. Did you ever believe it was possible?
RAFAEL NADAL: (Speaking in Spanish.) Sorry, sorry. No, I was thinking with the record two days ago, no, not tournaments before because is very difficult win every tournament, no.
Fifty-three matches is a lot of matches. When I look, is a lot of titles consecutive in clay. Is a lot, no. Before one tournament, I always think, "This week I gonna lose."
But I have lucky this year, and for now I won, no.
Q. You also tie a record today of Bjorn Borg's by winning so many titles before you reach 20 years old. What is it like for you to have the name Nadal there with Borg and Vilas, great players in the history of the game?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, for me is very nice have this...(speaking in Spanish.)
BENITO PEREZ-BARBADILLO: To be tied with them.
RAFAEL NADAL: But in a lot of things, I can't compare now with him, no, with Borg, with Vilas. I just have one Grand Slam and Borg had a lot of Grand Slams. So I need improve. I need improve a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot for have a good comparation with Borg, no.
Q. Well, you've equaled his record and Vilas' record. Whether you are comfortable with it, you're part of history now in tennis. Is that comfortable for you? You are part of history.
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I am very happy for that.
Q. (Through translation.) How would you explain to a friend of yours or a mother simply why you won today.
RAFAEL NADAL: (Through translation.) To be honest, I don't know. I'm not sure. I could have lost. I have won, but I could have lost. I've been down many times, and so I don't know.
For sure I played very well, but it was a very tough match. It was complicated. Well, I'm explaining this to you but not to my mother because she doesn't care about tennis very much.
Maybe I played well the important points. I was aggressive when I needed to, when I needed to recover like when I was 4-1, and I think this is what made things change.
But this is sports. It happened in Miami for him, and now it happened for me today. Well, that is what makes the final.
BENITO PEREZ-BARBADILLO: The Miami situation, he was in the same situation as Roger in Miami. Well, he didn't have matchpoints, he said. But he was 5-3.
Today was his turn. The sport is like this. One day you win and another day you don't.
Q. (Through translation.) When you were 15-40 and you had the two matchpoints against you, did you feel very emotional? Was it a very difficult point?
RAFAEL NADAL: (Through translation.) Yes, of course. This is normal. I think I played normally, I did nothing special. I was lucky because it's him who made a mistake, first with a forehand and then another one...
THE TRANSLATOR: Then if Benito wants to continue.
BENITO PEREZ-BARBADILLO: He said he started that game dizzy, he didn't start very well. He said you guys could have seen that, that he was a little bit dizzy and lost the first two points.
Q. (Through translation.) You won here today. Alonso and Pedrosa had excellent results. Is this something special for Spanish sport?
RAFAEL NADAL: (Through translation.) Of course I'm very happy, very proud because I always follow those sports as well. Yes, it's a nice moment for Spanish sports.
Q. At the end of the match, you went down on your back but then you jumped up and you went to the net. Is it because you did not want Federer to wait at the net?
RAFAEL NADAL: Can you repeat, please.
Q. When you won, you went on your back. When Bruguera won the French title, he went on his back and Courier had to go all the way around to shake his hand. You went down on the ground, but suddenly you jumped. Was it because you thought you didn't want to make him wait? That was the question.
RAFAEL NADAL: No, of course for the loser is not nice wait to the net, no. So when I was...(speaking in Spanish.)
BENITO PEREZ-BARBADILLO: Down on the floor.
RAFAEL NADAL: ... down on the floor, I was fast because I need go to the net and is more nice if I go fast - maybe.
Q. (Through translation.) In the first set we've seen you running a lot and we were a little bit surprised because normally it's you who make your opponent run. Were you surprised as well? Some people think that maybe the gap between you is reduced, and maybe he can beat you on clay.
RAFAEL NADAL: (Through translation.) Well, you know, he's No. 1 in the world. It's normal. If I don't run with him, I don't with whom I'm supposed to run.
Anyhow, he's a very good player. He played a very good match, but he hasn't beat me on clay yet.
BENITO PEREZ-BARBADILLO: He can obviously beat him on clay. That was the end of the answer.
What he meant to say was that actually he can beat him on clay. This is nothing new, he said.
Q. (Through translation.) Federer said that this was a very special match for him. Do you think this loss can have affected him?
RAFAEL NADAL: (Through translation.) Well, I don't know. I think he had two points to win me, so maybe.
But I think he's a great champion and he has overcome very many things, tougher things, you know. He won seven Grand Slams, and he been in so many finals. He's definitely at the moment better than any other player.
I think he's in history of tennis because if you see the gap there is between him and I, and I have played very well last year, this means that he's very special player.
Q. (Through translation.) You've played a lot of finals. Do you think that from a technical point of view this one is the best you played?
RAFAEL NADAL: (Through translation.) I don't know. I have the feeling I played better in Monte-Carlo, but I think that Federer played better today. So I'm not sure.
I played well in Montreal also against Agassi and I played well in Stuttgart against Gaudio. But playing No. 1 is always special, so I think this one is special.
Q. (Through translation.) You beat him twice in a row. Do you think this might give you an extra advantage for Roland Garros?
RAFAEL NADAL: (Through translation.) Well, I don't know. We have to play Hamburg first. We're flying there tomorrow and we'll see what happens.
Be in the finals in Roland Garros is very, very far away. It's a huge number of matches, so I cannot think about this now. Hamburg tomorrow.
Q. You're definitely playing Hamburg?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah.

End of FastScripts...

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