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TENNIS MASTERS CUP

November 15, 2007

Rafael Nadal

SHANGHAI, CHINA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What was it like today knowing it was really important to have to win in straight sets?
RAFAEL NADAL: The important thing is win, so better if I win in two sets is better than three because my chance is a little bit more to go to the semifinals, no?
Anyway, I am very happy about my game today. I play very, very good match - the best match here, and one of the best matches of the indoor season, no? So very, very happy about everything, no?
I play very, very complete match. Anything can happen right now. I can go out, is true. But if I go out, I go out with very good feelings, no?

Q. Why do you like to move the flowers towards you in the press conference?
THE MODERATOR: Because the light is reflecting.

Q. You are now having a strong possibility to play against Roger Federer in the semifinal if he beats Andy Roddick.
RAFAEL NADAL: In two sets.

Q. It would be a rematch for you to play Roger like you did last year in the Masters Cup. What do you say about this match coming?
RAFAEL NADAL: I didn't say nothing because this match is not coming yet. If the match is coming, we gonna speak about this match. Right now I am here waiting if I am in the semifinals or not. He has to play tomorrow, too, so...
Me and him, we are not in semifinals yet.

Q. Who would you want to meet in the semifinal?
RAFAEL NADAL: I want to be in the semifinals. I want to meet with someone (laughter).

Q. How strange is it to be in this situation where you're waiting on another match? Tennis is all about you win a match, you know you're through. You lose a match, you go home. This is very strange, isn't it?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, if I won the second set against David Ferrer, the situation not the same right now, no? So right now I have to wait. If I go out, I go out with being very happy about my game today, about my game in the tournament, especially today, no, because I play more aggressive. I play very, very good match.
If I go out, I go out with very good feelings. That's always very important for me, no? If I go in, if I go to semifinal, I go to semifinal with very good confidence. Is important, too (smiling).

Q. How do you approach your next year? How do you consider different tournaments? Last year you seemed a little bit tired at the end of the year. It seems this year you have done already better to feel better physically. Do you feel sometimes the clay court season takes a little bit too much out of you and are you going to change something about that?
RAFAEL NADAL: Last year I wasn't very tired here. I played very good tournament here, no, beating Robredo and Davydenko and playing very good match in semifinals.
No, 2005 I have the injury. Last year and this year I end the season, well, better this year because I won two matches here, quarterfinals in Madrid and final in Paris. So is very good end of the season.
So nothing, no? My calendar is tough because I have to play a lot of matches in the clay season. That is a good news for me, to play a lot of matches. But sometimes is tough, no?
For the specialists of hard is a little bit easier because they have Australia, Indian Wells, Miami, after they have clay, Toronto, Cincinnati, US Open, and have another time the indoor. So they have more seasons. Is easier for the others, no?
If I want to play and get a lot of points on clay, I only have two months.

Q. Before you entered this room, did you calculate your possibility of coming to the semifinal?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, sure I know my possibilities. If Ferrer win, I am in semifinals. If Ferrer lose in two sets, I am in semifinals. The only chance for be out of the semifinals is Gasquet winning in three sets, difference of two or something.
THE MODERATOR: More than three games.

Q. After the US Open final, we have a Q&A for the tennis fans on the official Chinese website. The fans in China picked Novak Djokovic rather than you to be a threat to Roger Federer in the next three years. What do you say about that? And the next question is, as the same age with those guys, like Novak, Andy Murray, and Richard Gasquet.
RAFAEL NADAL: Gasquet is my age.

Q. Nearly the same age as you, with you, whom do you pick to be a threat to challenge you and Roger in 2008?
RAFAEL NADAL: Would be in this group, too, because I am the same age like these ones.
No, for me, they gonna have his chances for the No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. So they are very young. They are very good players. So anything can happen in the future, no?
In my opinion, if Roger continues like this, they don't gonna have too much chances. But they can improve, and they must improve if they want to be No. 1. And me, too. I am trying to improve every year, every month for try to be better player.
But not for only be No. 1. I try to improve always to continue being best players of the world because I know these young players is coming, and in two years is going to be more and more. Always the tennis is improving and is coming more the new guys, so that's nothing new.
Some years ago, Hewitt, Ferrero, Federer, these guys, Nalbandian, these guys are the same age, too. So was Coria. Was a very, very tough situation for be in the top six. Right now I think something similar is coming, too.

Q. I'm sure that Ferrer and Gasquet have not made any agreement before going on court. But don't you think that it was better if you were playing after their match instead of before?
RAFAEL NADAL: Why?

Q. I'm just saying I think it's more natural. You should go on court after the match. In a way they could play and decide they both go in the semifinal. They will never do it. Normally the scheduling of the Masters has always been in a way nobody could fix possibly a match. Nobody is going to do it, but normally they would do that. You didn't think if today was better to play before or of after?
RAFAEL NADAL: Think too much, my opinion. Think too much because I am totally sure. Ferrer and Gasquet are very nice guys. They never going to do that because they love the sport, no?
I think the schedule is okay.

Q. In previous press conferences, Novak said you're exceptional in the age group. What do you think of yourself? Do you think you are an exceptional case as a 20-something player?
RAFAEL NADAL: Thank you to Novak, no?
Well, today I play a very good match. Djokovic, Federer and me, we are very close all the time, so I think -- except last two Masters Series -- so we are in all important finals of the season, no?
He's doing very, very good work and he's continuing to improve. He's going to have his chances, no, for to be No. 1, I don't know, next year, after next year. Going to be interesting fight.

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