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WIMBLEDONJuly 8, 2006Rafael NadalWIMBLEDON, ENGLAND THE MODERATOR: Our finalist, Rafael Nadal. Q. Can you talk a little bit, you obviously have two uncles, one uncle is your coach and the other uncle, as we know, is a great Spanish footballer. Can you talk a little bit about the inspiration that he gave you as a boy? RAFAEL NADAL: No, so my coach, I was with my uncle, my coach. I began with him at three years old. I am all life with him. So maybe for him I am now professional player, no? Without him, was impossible. So after, with my other uncle, with Miguel Angel, the football player, sure I have unbelievable relation with him, but now I have more relation with him than when he was in Barcelona because I am play living in Mallorca, he is living in Barcelona for eight years. I was speaking with him a lot of times on the phone. Sometimes I go to Barcelona for watch him. But is different, no? You have more confident when you are watching him every day. Now I play (golf?) with him, I go to anything with him a lot of time, no? He has time now. But I don't have -- maybe my uncle is positive for my family. When I was beginning winning, everything... (speaking in Spanish). THE INTERPRETER: They knew how to manage him, how to keep him humble. RAFAEL NADAL: My family have a very good experience with him. It's good, have this experience, no? Q. Do you feel you now are as big a star in Spain as your uncle? RAFAEL NADAL: Is difficult to compare, no? First of all, the football is biggest than the tennis. He play three World Cups. He won the Champions League. He won maybe four or five ligas in Spain, championship in Spain. But he was not the No. 2 in the world, no (smiling)? Q. You seem to have the evil eye over Federer. Why is this? You've won six of your battles against him. What do you do, do you intimidate him? Your sleeves and the muscle... RAFAEL NADAL: Before the match in the locker I (pushing), after he go to the court a little bit... (smiling). No, no, no, I don't know, no? I always play very good matches against him. I am trying my best. I have little bit lucky, sure in Rome. In Dubai maybe, too, because I was losing easy. He was playing unbelievable. But I don't know, no? Maybe I am try my best. I fight every point. I continuing believing with the victory all the time. But, sure, is not normal win four times consecutive against one man just when he just lose four matches in the year, no? Q. He said earlier this is his surface and it all depends how much you want to win. He wants to win it badly. Now it's a test how much you want it as well. RAFAEL NADAL: Maybe that's not true, no, because I want to win, for sure. But not for that reason because I gonna win, because is his best surface. He is the best in this surface, for sure, no doubt. He is the favorite by far. So I gonna try my best always, no? I gonna try my best. I gonna need play my best match in my life for try the victory, so I gonna try that. Q. Do you have a tradition how to spend an evening before the final? What do you usually do? Maybe you are trying to go to sleep early or visit some restaurants or listen to the same music. RAFAEL NADAL: No, nothing special, no. The same like every day, no? I gonna go in my home, I gonna cook my dinner. Nothing special, no? I gonna sleep when I am tired. So nothing special, no? Maybe I don't gonna sleep very early, no, because I don't like to sleep a lot, no, and I can't. Q. What does this rivalry mean to tennis, do you think, between you and Roger? RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know, no? Maybe something's good, something's bad, no? I don't know exactly, no? For me, is good, sure, no? Maybe is nice for the people watch finals against the same people, no, because is nice one time you always can think this time gonna win Roger, this time gonna win Rafa. So maybe that's nice for the spectation (sic) against the No. 1, against the No. 2. Maybe that's good for tennis, no? Q. How do you think you've been serving here? RAFAEL NADAL: Serving? The best tournament in my life for sure. I just lose two times the serve. Q. Because Roger has just said although your serve hasn't been broken, it should have been broken during some of these games. RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know exactly. I am not (speaking Spanish). THE INTERPRETER: I don't agree very much. RAFAEL NADAL: I don't agree very much Roger can say that. Because if he look my matches, maybe I just have one breakpoint in the second round against -- I lost one time in the second round against Kendrick. After that, I just have one breakpoint down, maybe? I don't remember exactly, but maybe is that, no? After, I don't have breakpoint against no one -- not one against Agassi, not one against Labadze, against Jarkko some one, I don't know, three or four. Yesterday I have nine, and I have one Love-40, sure. Q. How much time did you spend on the practice courts? You said you adapted your game pretty quick to the surface. Did you spend more time on the practice courts here than other players? RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know, but sure I was playing with a big motivation and a big illusion, no, every practice, very concentrate, enjoying. I enjoy the week off, the week before on Queen's, too. I was practicing. I was playing on Queen's with a good mentality, very positive attitude. So maybe this couple things is good for arriving to Wimbledon with confidence. So this was very important for me, the second round against Kendrick. Q. How will Wimbledon compare to the achievement of your uncle winning the Champions League? Is it bigger? RAFAEL NADAL: Is different, no? We can't compare the football with the tennis because is another sport, because is a teams, that's singles. So is stupid have the comparation (sic). Sure, the Champions League is the best thing in Europe for the win, no, the clubs, for clubs, no? So in the tennis, winning Grand Slam is the best, too. So maybe you can't compare the football with tennis because the football involve a lot of people. The tennis involve people, but not the same, and you are playing just for one. Q. By what percentage has your grass court game improved during this fortnight? RAFAEL NADAL: A lot, because I was playing now with confidence, comfortable on court. I don't feel nothing strange when I go to the court, and that's the important, no? Q. You said that when you was very, very young you was dreaming about this final, to play the final in Wimbledon. How this dream was finish, you was winning or you was losing? And do you are dreaming these days about tomorrow final? If you close your eyes, what happen? RAFAEL NADAL: I was thinking I have a chance, because that's true, no? Q. But the dream. RAFAEL NADAL: The dream is the real, no? I was thinking the last days, the last week if I am playing my best tennis, I have a chance for be in this final, no? Now is very, very, very, very difficult. If I am playing good normally, I gonna lose tomorrow, no? But I know before tomorrow if I am playing my best tennis, I can play this final, no? So in my dream, when I was young, is win, not lose. But just I have 20, no? I hope is not the last. Q. What does your uncle think of you supporting Real Madrid? RAFAEL NADAL: No, when my uncle play on Barcelona, I support Barcelona, no, sure? Is my family, no? So, no, no, I don't have no problem. We speak football with him, but for him it's okay because he know when I was -- when he play in Barcelona, I want to win, I want to he win, no?
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