	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

SHANGHAI ATP MASTERS 1000

October 17, 2009

Feliciano Lopez

SHANGHAI, CHINA

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

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you talk us through the injury, when it became a problem? Was it a problem in previous matches or did it just happen tonight?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: Yeah, it's -- this morning when I wake up, I have an infection in my foot, in my right foot. Infection down in my foot.
It was painful during the match, and because of running, you know, carefully because of the pain I have in my foot, I twist my ankle a little bit in the last point of the first set. So I had two problems at the same time. It was much more painful, the ankle, than the infection.

Q. It seemed as though you had asked for a trainer before you twisted your ankle. Is that correct or not?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: No, no, no. In the last point?

Q. No, but at 5-0 you didn't ask for a trainer?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: No, I just asked for the trainer as soon as I finished the set. On that point, on the last point of the first set at 6-1, that's when I called him.

Q. How do you feel? I mean, it seems very unlucky that you've made this semifinal, had a great week, and it ends like this in a very disappointing and strange way.
FELICIANO LOPEZ: Of course. It's not the best way to finish a good week, but in general it was unbelievable week for me. I have to be happy. I'm proud of what I did. Of course, it's not the best way, no? To finish like this, playing against Rafa, it's a wonderful match to play, but this is tennis, and I was unlucky and I have nothing to do with it.
So if I think about the matches I won during the week, I have to be happy and looking forward to play the next tournament if I'm ready, so I'm so happy for the week in general.

Q. When you were fit obviously in the first set, how do you think Rafa was playing? You've obviously played him before. What do you think his game was?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: I think he was playing very solid, normally, as usual. So he's a good player. What can I say about Rafa now?
I think he was playing a good way, and of course tomorrow if he is continuing to play this way, he will have chances to win the tournament. And I think he's in good shape right now. Since he come here to Asia, he is improving his game.
He was in the semis last week. He's in the finals now. So I think he will have chances to win the tournament if he plays as I saw him playing today.

Q. What does the injury mean for you now? How long will you have to rest, and where do you go from here?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: I spoke to the doctor now. He said it's a little bit inflamed, my ankle, and I'm taking antibiotics for my infection. And I will ask for the Wednesday start in Stockholm, and I just have to be ready.
I will pray a little bit, and that's all that I can do. If not, I will go to Madrid, have rest, take care of my injuries and get ready for Vienna, which is the next week.

Q. So after yesterday's match there was no problem? You just woke up this morning, and your foot was sore. Where is the infection? In the toe?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: Yeah, do you want to see?

Q. Not really.
FELICIANO LOPEZ: I can show you. (laughter.)

Q. Is it the toe or...
FELICIANO LOPEZ: Yeah, under. Yeah. It looks an infection. The doctor said he's not sure, but you can see very clear that it's a lot of blood under my skin, so it looks an infection, but he's not sure.

Q. But last night, no problems?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: No, no. I was playing yesterday. I was totally 100% ready. And this morning when I wake up, I feel a little bit of pain. I came here, and we made -- we made a tape to protect the area for the match, but it didn't really work.
And because of the tape and because of running carefully, I think that's why I twisted my ankle.

Q. Just a question about Spanish tennis in general. It seems very, very strong this year, last year. Why do you think Spanish tennis is so strong and you have so many good players?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: It's tough to answer. I think we been successful for the last 10 or 15 years, and I didn't really find any reason, no?
I think we are a little bit lucky, because sometimes you work hard, you try to have some good players. I see other countries how they do and how they try, and they don't have that many players. And I think we are lucky that in the last 15 years we have a lot of talent, talented players, and these talented players, they work hard and they became professional.
But to be honest, I think we're lucky, because if you don't have talent, it's impossible to become professional tennis players.
So we are, in my age and one year older and younger, it's so many players now, and I think we are really lucky. After we finish our careers, I don't know if it's going to continue like this, because, you know, it's really, really tough to have 15 players into the top 100.
But I think since after Emilio Sanchez, it's almost every year two or three new guys coming in, so I think we are lucky, and of course we are working hard, but I think we're a little bit lucky.

Q. Can we just ask you about Rafa? He's someone you obviously know very well. Would you expect him to come back as strong as he was, for example, a year ago? And do you think that he can continue playing the sort of schedule he has played in the past?
FELICIANO LOPEZ: I think he's the same player as he was, no? Well, this year he has two serious injuries. He didn't play Wimbledon, and in the summer he also have some problems with the stomach here, with the abdominals.
So of course if you have those injuries, it's impossible to be the same player as he was, but in the next years I think he will become as strong as he was if he has no injuries anymore.
But it's always tough to say, no? Last year he won the Olympics, he won Wimbledon, he won the French Open. People get used to see Rafa winning everything, and we have to know that this is so difficult what he's doing or what the other players are doing, also. Roger, he won three Grand Slams and it looks very easy.
Even if he win only one Grand Slam and No. 2 in the world, it's a great year, anyway. But I think he will definitely be the same player as he was.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297