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SONY ERICSSON OPEN

April 6, 2008

Rafael Nadal

MIAMI, FLORIDA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Has Nikolay improved since you last played him? Does he do anything differently now?
RAFAEL NADAL: What?

Q. Has Nikolay improved since you last played him? Does he do anything differently?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, I don't think so, no? He's always a big player, no? No. 4 in the world, No. 3, No. 5, since three years, no? He's a big player.

Q. Were you surprised at just how aggressive Nikolay was today? He seemed to be standing very close to the baseline, taking a lot of balls on the rise, taking a lot of time away from you. Were you surprised by his aggression today?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. I think he play a good level. He played good match, but I didn't play well today. So when you don't play at 100% at this level against top players, it's tough win, especially on hard surface. So I congratulate him more because he play better than me.
I played very good tournament. I won against very good players. I played at my best level against Berdych, against Blake, against Mathieu. So for that reason I beat against these top players. Today I didn't play my best. He play well and I lose.

Q. Were you 100% fit physically? Are you feeling well?
RAFAEL NADAL: I feel perfect. I feel good. I didn't have any problems, so just today I -- I didn't found my rhythm on court, so it was tough since the beginning. I can't -- against wind was impossible for me to win on my serve. If I win serves against wind is impossible to win the match.

Q. Especially your forehand today?
RAFAEL NADAL: My forehand?

Q. Yeah.
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know outside court, but inside the court I think is the backhand, not the forehand.

Q. Do you think that Nikolay is sort of the guy that at least here we don't hear that much about? You know, everyone writes about you and Roger and Andy. Do you think he's kind of the forgotten guy in the top 5? People don't give him enough credit?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't think so, no. He's -- well, he's a different kind of player, for sure. He's -- he's a big player, but the people and you, you like to write more about Roger, about me, about Djokovic, about Roddick.
But one player can't be three years in Masters Series or this year going to be the fourth without being a very, very good player.
So the people outside tennis can think different, can think about different way about Nikolay, but we know he's a very, very good player.

Q. What are the things that make him different, and what makes him particularly difficult to play?
RAFAEL NADAL: I say before, I think he didn't do nothing different. He start play much better. He played very good level. I didn't play good match. That's it.
Sometimes we all have to think more than the match, so the match was -- I didn't play well. He play very well, especially after 3-3, because in the beginning I think he wasn't play very good, too. But, anyway, I didn't play well, too.
So later he start -- he come back, and in one moment of the match, in the 3-All, I have one break point, important point. I didn't win this point. I have one mistake with the forehand. After this point he start playing match much better.
It was a big change because he was doing some mistakes. I was doing the same mistakes, too, but at this moment he changed a lot in the match. He start playing much better and was big change for me, no?
And I didn't found a way. I didn't see the way for -- for try to change the match, no?

Q. I know it's very soon after the match for you, but would you be able to turn your mind to thinking about the clay court season, which is about to begin, and a few thoughts about the part of the season you like best?
RAFAEL NADAL: Right now I have Davis Cup, so I don't think about -- I think about Davis Cup now. It's important competition for us. Later I sure I'm going to think on clay season, but right now this is the tournament going to give me, I think, positive feeling for the clay season, no?
I play very good tournament against very good players, regularly in final, semifinal, semifinal. That's always positive. When you are there every week finally you going to win. I think this.
So for sure it's tough. I was playing very, very good tennis, but at the same time, I have to be happy about myself, about the last weeks, because I improve a lot my level, tennis level, and I was there all the time.
I think soon I going to win a title, no? I hope so. I hope so in Monte-Carlo.

Q. You said that he didn't change his style, but is there something about his style that didn't allow you to get into your rhythm, or was it just one of those days for you?
RAFAEL NADAL: I say it three times. I didn't feel my rhythm on court, so I play bad game today. It's difficult to say more things. I said before -- he play better than me. For that reason he beat me. He play more aggressive, with more good feelings, forehand, backhand volley, dropshot.
I can't win against player doing everything better than me today. Today, I didn't play my tennis.

Q. The fact that they've switched to a two-out-of-three format, seems like it would be a particular disadvantage to a player like yourself. I wonder how you and others feel about the switch from three-out-of-five to two-out-of-three in the scoring.
RAFAEL NADAL: I think it's a positive change for the players, because we have the calendar very tight, very tough all the time, a lot of straight weeks and tough for us to play final with five sets.
But the intention of tennis is five sets. Big matches -- I remember some of the big matches, I know I played big matches, if I played big matches, was always five sets.
At the same time, it is disappointing for me.

Q. With the results of tournaments at that start of this year, do you see the men's side being wide open right now as far as who's going to become the dominant player?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. You know, we have only three months already on the season. Roger have lose more than usually, but it wasn't due to bad results. He's not far away about his level.
Djokovic is unbelievable, but at the same time, I am not so far away than Djokovic, too. Play very good start of the season. My goal was have 1,000 points after Miami. I say before the season my goal is have 1,000 points in Miami and I will have, I don't know, 1,200, 1,250, something like this.
I improve my goal. Last year I have in this moment, this tournament, when I finish winning the Indian Wells I have 1025 points. I improve. It's a lot of points on three months, so happy for that.

End of FastScripts

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