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INTERNAZIONALI BNL D'ITALIA (MEN)

May 13, 2007

Fernando Gonzalez

ROME, ITALY

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. 40-15 in the first game. Was that disturbing to let that get by?
FERNANDO GONZÁLEZ: Maybe, because I lost the match, but he was playing really good. I mean, it's tough when you play against a guy that feel very comfortable on the court and you don't feel really good, especially playing against him. Everything can be different, but there is nothing that I can do now.

Q. Can you talk about how different it is to play Nadal on clay than like another surface, like the Australian Open.
FERNANDO GONZÁLEZ: Clay is his best surface and hard court is maybe my best surface. Tennis you can play in different surfaces, and sometimes the ball flies a lot and sometimes it's slow. It's different.
In tennis it's very competitive and every day different. But, I mean, we're playing on clay now and I have to try to keep improving.
This was a good week for me, especially if you go back one or two weeks and I was playing really bad on this surface.

Q. What happened after the Australia? You seemed to have a down period.
FERNANDO GONZÁLEZ: Yeah, I been maybe -- I haven't played too many tournaments, but I wasn't feeling like maybe ready to compete, you know. My tennis was okay. I was healthy. I was very fit.
But I was -- I don't know what happened. It was the first time that happened to me. I been playing few months at the good level and then I went down a little bit, and that's why this week it's really important for me. I feel that I'm back and I'm ready to do more important things.

Q. Is anybody every going to beat this guy on clay?
FERNANDO GONZÁLEZ: Hopefully. It's boring if he's winning every clay court tournament. But he's, I mean, he's very -- I mean, his shots, he try to play very high and deep, and it's tough because he's in good shape and he can be hours playing there.
That's why today I tried to go for it, tried to win the match. I cannot wait on this kind of surface.

Q. Were you hoping he might be tired after yesterday's match?
FERNANDO GONZÁLEZ: Not really, because, I mean, he can run hours and come back the next day. So, no, no. I never expect that, but I was happy that they played three hours yesterday.

Q. You said you didn't play too well. Do you have any reason for it, why you weren't at your best today?
FERNANDO GONZÁLEZ: I think the reason was him. It's easy to say I didn't play good or I play bad or my serve didn't work. I mean, maybe you have another reason, but the most important is your opponent. Sometimes he makes you play where you don't want to play.
I tried to attack him all the time, tried to play very close to the baseline to try to make my opportunity to go into the net, and I couldn't do. So that was my plan for today.

Q. This is the first time they haven't played a best-of-five set final. How do you feel about that?
FERNANDO GONZÁLEZ: Well, I play a few finals best-of-five. I think it's good, it's better, because you have to play the next week in Hamburg, and it doesn't matter where.
But normally you have to play the week after, so if you play five sets to go back to another tournament is not good for your body.

Q. Say you're just all the players and you have to beat Nadal on clay. What have you learned from playing him on clay that maybe you would do differently? Is there anything you can see that you might be able to do on clay to have more success?
FERNANDO GONZÁLEZ: There was a little bit wrong with my serve. Tried to -- I mean, try to put more first serve in. Don't try to find the free points, because anyway you have to play long points.
But, I mean, he plays good tennis today. I mean, maybe you can take something when he's not playing really good.

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