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SHANGHAI ATP MASTERS 1000

October 17, 2009

Rafael Nadal

SHANGHAI, CHINA

R. NADAL/F. Lopez
6-1, 3-0 Ret.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How does it feel the second night in a row to see your opponent retire?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, that's the sport, and sure, I'm sorry for both of players, especially for the last one because he's a close friend of mine, and, well, seems like it's not very important, so that's good. I just can wish him and expect a fast recovery for him, no?
Yeah, I was -- I was playing well, not bad today. Sure, after he told me he had the problem at the last point of the first set, so, yeah, I can't say more, no? But I'm in the finals, so that's really important and really good news for me. It's my first final after my comeback after the injuries.
So it's a very good result for me, and I'm very happy, and I gonna try my best tomorrow to try to play my best tennis and have chances to win.

Q. Can you look ahead to Nikolay Davydenko for us?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, he's playing very well. I saw his match today against Novak, and he did unbelievable, playing with a lot of rhythm, playing unbelievable winners and very good points at -- yeah, very, a lot of intensity.
So it gonna be a really tough match, so I will play my best without having mistakes. I gonna really have chances to win, no? If not, gonna be impossible. I know that.

Q. Do you feel like you're getting better every time you step on the court again? I mean, I know obviously you're playing at a very high level, anyway. But do you feel every time you step out onto the court, you're back into the old rhythm again kind of thing?
RAFAEL NADAL: Can you...
THE MODERATOR: He's asking about the more and more that you're playing, do you think that you're getting your rhythm and your game back?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, you know, I say every day the same. Every week it's really important for me, every week victory improves, improves my confidence, and that's another important result in the final.
So, sure, if I win tomorrow, gonna be important change for me. I don't know if I am in my best rhythm right now, but I saw the results, and the results are doing well, so that's the good news.

Q. So far there are so many injuries, and with yours in this event, how do you think about that? And do you think it is normal?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, that's a lot of coincidence, no? That's a lot of coincidence, because sometimes can happen but that's too much this week, no?
But that's the sport and sometimes can happen. But it's really strange, really strange what happen this tournament.

Q. I'm from New Zealand but I'll try to be clear for you. There's a lot of pressure and expectation on your shoulders all the time. Everybody expects you to win every match every week. How do you live with this pressure, this expectation?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I think it's nothing new for me, no? So finally everybody can talk a lot and everybody can say a lot of things, but important thing is yourself. So it's sometimes for the players and for the people playing the semifinals is not a good result, but I know how difficult is do what I did the last five years, and, you know, how tough and how good you have to be playing physically and mentally. Must be, if you want to win three or six titles and winning few Grand Slams and 50 Masters Series.
So the pressure is there all the time, but in this sport it's impossible live without the pressure, no? Because you play every week. Every week you must do that until you want to be in the top, and if you're not ready every week, it's impossible, because there is one calendar, a lot of tournaments, and the system of the ranking don't give you a lot of chances, no?
So if you are good, you can be in the top. If you are not all the time playing well or all the time focus, or sure, accept this pressure is impossible be in the top positions.
I think I accept it all the time, all my life, well. And for sure when you are playing worse, you lose. When you playing win, you have more chances to win. And sure, now when you come back after the injury and you really don't know exactly how you are playing or you are in more rhythm, the pressure is there, but, you know, only way to change that is working, working hard every day, playing your best every match, practicing with positive attitude and playing with positive attitude, no? Trying to move on court when you are nervous and that's it.

Q. You must feel quite relieved. Our No. 1 seeded player is in the finals because of the two retirement in a row. Is it an advantage or disadvantage in your opinion?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, doesn't matter, yeah. That's my opinion.

Q. You have played two short games. The last two matches were short. And Nikolay Davydenko played a three-hour game today. How important do you think it will be, tomorrow's game?
RAFAEL NADAL: We are ready to compete three hours and to play the next day, no? I think that's not going to be a problem for Nikolay, especially because he's very good fit, no? And I think it's more advantage than disadvantage, no?
Because win a match like he did today is very good for him and a lot of confidence for him. Sure, he finish the match playing really well and he gonna be with big confidence right now, no?

Q. He described you as a more defensive player than GonzÃ¡lez or Djokovic. Should we expect a very defensive game tomorrow?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I don't think I am more defensive than -- well, probably, yeah, than Djokovic but not GonzÃ¡lez, no? GonzÃ¡lez have a big forehand, but with the backhand he play defensive all the time. But anyway, doesn't matter the comparison, no? Defensive or attacking, I gonna try my best, you know.
If I have the chance to attack, I gonna attack. If I feel well to attack, I gonna attack. If not, I gonna defense. I gonna do all in my hands to try to win.
If I think the way to win is defense, I go defense. And if I think the way is attack, I gonna attack. So, you know, the sport is not an automatic thing, no?

Q. After the difficulties you have had this year, and particularly with your knees earlier in the year, have you thought yet about the schedule for next year? And have your doctors advised you what sort of schedule you should play next year?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, if you give me -- I don't know, no? But you see different options to do or not? Because I don't see. You know, the way can't change a lot. This is all the -- you can do it different things.
If you want to only play the four Slams and Masters Series or try to be ready to compete to be in the top positions and try to be ready to compete well in these tournaments, no, I had problems this year, but remember, for the last five years I had big results in a lot of important tournaments.
And the calendar -- probably all in 2005 I played more than usual the rest of the players, but if you analyze my calendar this year, I play one tournament to prepare Australia, I played only in Rotterdam, and I played Indian Wells, Miami, and I played Masters Series in clay, including Barcelona. And Barcelona, for me, is -- I have to play Barcelona, you know. (laughter.)
No, but that's true, no? It's a 500 on clay. It's the only one what I can play on clay. This is not another option to do, no? Later I can play in Roland Garros, one week on grass to prepare Wimbledon, and later, yes, I have one month out to prepare, you know, the time, from the time in Cincinnati and US Open.
That's the schedule. And that's the calendar. That's not my schedule. That's obligatory calendar if you want to be ready in the big tournaments, no? That's my feeling. I don't see another options for -- that's what I -- that's what I gonna try to do.

End of FastScripts

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