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SONY ERICSSON OPEN

March 31, 2009

Rafael Nadal

KEY BISCAYNE, FLORIDA

R. NADAL/S. Wawrinka
7-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How would you describe that match?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, important win for me here. Very important. To be in quarterfinals is always a good result. So after winning in Indian Wells, being in quarterfinals is very good news.
Yeah, today was good match. Yeah. I had a lot of breakpoints and I didn't convert not one -- only one in the second set after a lot of chances.
So maybe if I won a little bit more breakpoints the match seems like I was playing better, no? But I think, yeah, it was very important win. Wasn't a bad match.

Q. Were you surprised by the level of Wawrinka?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. Wawrinka is a very good player.

Q. What about your level? Are you where you expect to be right now, or are you unhappy about your level? You feel good about it?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, I played much better today than yesterday. I am very happy about my match today, yeah. I didn't practice my best the last days, and yesterday I played terrible match.
So I improved a lot today in the match. I was very focused and I played two good tiebreakers, so that's very good. No, I am really happy right now. Sure, I can play better, yeah. You can't play always at 100%, but today, yes, I am happy.

Q. Does a match like yesterday's match where you feel you played terrible help you get your attention, and did it help you play better today?
RAFAEL NADAL: No.

Q. You played bad and you turned it around because you played bad?
RAFAEL NADAL: No.

Q. Nothing?
RAFAEL NADAL: Didn't help in nothing, no? These kind of matches only help to lose confidence, no? Don't help improve nothing.

Q. Did you feel you could raise your level in the tiebreaks?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. I think I was there. I was there all the time and playing very focused on the important points. He had some mistakes, but I played aggressive and I go to the net sometimes. Yeah, I'm happy.

Q. The tiebreakers, were you disappointed? Frustrated? Because a lot of times he was coming up with the big serve in those situations. How did you feel you played on the breakpoints overall?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, I can do nothing, no? I have Love-40 in the 5-4, 0-40, and I didn't have any chance. He played all the serves inside. First serves, very hard first serves.
So I didn't have chances. Nothing. Just wait and try to be focus all the time to have more opportunities.

Q. There are almost the same players in the quarterfinals as in Indian Wells and in Melbourne.
RAFAEL NADAL: Exactly the same?

Q. Almost. What is your explanation? Like the top 10 has set apart from the rest?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, I think that's good for tennis, and I think we are in one moment of the tennis history that the best players are winning always, no?
For that reason, win titles, everything, be there is almost very -- almost more difficult than ever, no? Because all the time you have to play against the best. You don't have -- if you are in quarterfinals, you are going to play against the best players of the world.
You're gonna have -- never is easy but you don't of a normal match.

End of FastScripts

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