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SHANGHAI ATP MASTERS 1000

October 14, 2009

Rafael Nadal

SHANGHAI, CHINA

R. NADAL/J. Blake
6-2, 6-7, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Your reaction after the match was incredible. It was like you won a Grand Slam, not a second round at the Masters. It really meant a lot to you?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, sure. Was important win for me, no? Every match is important for me now. I told you the other day it's a difficult year for me, so every victory is really important for me and special today, no?
I had the match under control, set and break, playing really well, that's true, and, you know, and the reaction is not only -- for some moments I was all the time up in the score, but anything can happen when you are 4-All in the third.
So I think I deserve -- I thought, when I won the match, I thought I deserve to win the match, because most of the time I think I played better than James.
So was lose -- was going to be tough if I lose this match, no?

Q. Were you especially pleased with the way you defended? Because you had to defend quite a lot today against some of his really strong groundstrokes.
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, always to play against James is really difficult. He really play very aggressive in the return during the point. Any way you are playing a good shot, you never know if he plays a more unbelievable shot. He didn't defend, no? He always attack. So it's very difficult to play against James, no?
More happy how I started the match. I played aggressive having very good points on the net, playing forehands and going to the net, so that's the way, no? Later I was a little bit more behind the baseline, so that's not the way.
Later I happy, especially in the third set when I had the chance. I played aggressive, for example, in the match point. I played very good forehand down the line, so I played aggressive, so I'm very happy with that.

Q. How would you rate the quality of your tennis in the first set if you compare it to since the US Open? Has it been one of your best sets?
RAFAEL NADAL: I really was playing really well last week in Beijing. Only last match played very bad. But for the rest of the tournament, second round and quarterfinals I was playing really well, so, you know, I have to continue to work like what I am doing, practicing every day with positive attitude and hopefully be healthy, no?
If it's like this and I continue like this with this illusion and motivation, maybe not this year but next year, but I don't know, I gonna come back to play my best tennis, and I happy how I am playing. Right now I have to play my best tennis in the big matches, no?
I lost a few important matches after the injury, came back, so that's really normal, because you need confidence to play against the best players. But matches with victories like today victory give me extra confidence, and playing like this I hope have chances to win tournaments.

Q. You won five titles this year, Australian Open, as well; yet you characterize it as a difficult year for you, which is true. Can you just talk about that a little bit? Because a lot of people would say, Well, that's a pretty good year.
RAFAEL NADAL: No, sure, is pretty good year for me, no? The year was fantastic winning one Grand Slam and winning three Masters Series? Three.
And, sure, winning Barcelona, which -- Australia, three Masters Series, and that's it, and having a lot of good matches. So later, you know, is difficult year, because -- anyway, I have, you know, personal problem in a few moments at the beginning of the year, so that's -- that doesn't affect on the results, because I still winning in Indian Wells after that and winning in Monte-Carlo and these places.
But, you know, you lose a little bit the fresh mentally that you need to play these matches. You have sometimes your head in other problems and other things, no? So that's the first thing.
Later, when I started to play the clay season, every week the knee was going worse and worse, so that's tough. Sure, I arrive at probably most important part of the season in the worst conditions, no? Roland Garros and Wimbledon, so that's really difficult to accept.
And, sure, I had to stop for two months, and when you stop two months, I came back well, quarterfinal and semifinals. I was improving every day, but I arrive to the US Open and especially in Cincinnati and US Open, in the last matches of Cincinnati and US Open, I have -- I broke the abdominal, so is another problem.
So for that reason is a difficult year, because I didn't play with calm for a long time. So I need to get this confidence to go on court and to feel confident in my physical performance and to feel comfortable about my game, so I start to feeling that.

Q. This week in Shanghai and last week in Beijing, you had a lot of attention, a lot of media interviews, a lot of fans. How do you keep your concentration and your focus on what you have to do on court when you have so much attention off the court here in China?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, I think everything is part of the work, so I happy to do the things, the things for the tournament, the things for media and happy about doing everything, make sure I have my time for practice.
No, that's normal for me. And I think this tournament had big, fought to have a very good tournament, and everything was, in my opinion, better than when they had the Masters Cup. So everything is improving a lot. I very happy how the tournament did everything.
So I just want to continue to win the tournament, because right now is probably one of the best tournaments of the year.

Q. A lot of people are injured with this tournament. What's your comment on this? Do you think this will affect your performance on the court?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, you know, the players in this end of the season is tough for everyone except for me this year. (laughter.)
But, you know, when you played a lot of matches during all the season is tough, no? And the body, when you put the body all the time at the limit, so is difficult, no? Anyway, if you work hard on your physical with your physio, it's the same like Formula 1. (laughter.)
Yeah, that's true, the best cars of the world, but at the same time the cars brokes more than your car. That's the reason, because the car is always at the limit. So we are the same.

Q. I came from Japan, Tokyo. You have come and played many times in China, especially in Shanghai. But I know that it is a tough calendar, but you have not yet come to Japan to play. You have many fans. You cannot give us something for the fans in Japan for next year?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I would love to come back to come there, to go there any day, maybe next year. You can ask the Tokyo tournament if they invite me, no?

End of FastScripts

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