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BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 12, 2010

Rafael Nadal

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How are you feeling? How's your body feeling?
RAFAEL NADAL: I hope well, no? I feel well. No problems now, but with the last time I have few problems.
So, no, when you come back you are always a little bit scared, but I'm feeling okay. I practice hard in Mallorca, and I did here, too, the first -- the last three, four days. I think I am ready.

Q. How long did it take to be okay to start again after Australia?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, I stopped two -- yeah, two weeks and a half, without practicing. Lately I start to play again, every day a little bit more.

Q. Are you looking forward to tonight's match? Will it be competitive? Will it be fun? What are you expecting?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, the match tonight is always pleasure for me to be part of this event for the charity event for Haiti. Just for us it's important just play good and make good money for Haiti. Positive experience, I think.

Q. Do you have any doubles hints for Andre, for your partner?
RAFAEL NADAL: I am not a specialist in doubles. (Laughter.)

Q. Rafa, coming back, after Australia with the injury, did it scare you? Were you very concerned? Did you think maybe it's not such a big deal, couple weeks, I'll be fine?
RAFAEL NADAL: I practice very hard and I worked very hard in Mallorca in December, working hard. When you have an injury in the second tournament is always difficult to accept, especially because I was playing really well, no?
And anyway, I can lose quarterfinals in Australia against Andy for sure. But, you know, I was another time playing -- my feeling is I was playing -- I was ready to win.
I was believing I can win the tournament there. I can lose against Andy, but at the same time you stop, you feel another time like you have to start another time stop, no?
That was the worst thing, because I was playing really well, and if I really have the chance to continue playing Rotterdam and Davis Cup, it's going to be much better to play these tournaments. But I think I am playing well.

Q. As well as Andy played early in that match, had you not gotten the injury, do you think maybe you had a chance to win that match?
RAFAEL NADAL: I had the chance. I had the chance. I had break in the first, break in the second, and I was playing at very good level. I think he play really well, too. It was a really good match, no? Nothing to say but congratulate him.
I had a problem in the end of the second set, but before that was a great match, I think. Both players played really well, and I feel like I was at the top the whole time.

Q. The last year has been a little challenging for you with some of the injuries and things that have gone on. What have you learned about yourself and tennis in the last year that's helped you?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know how to answer this question, no? You have to be a little bit more passionate and you have to be with calm with these problems, because sometimes you can do -- you can't do nothing with this when you have unlucky with injuries. Just play your best, play positive all the time, and wait for the better moment.
No, tennis is a rhythm game. To play really well, you have to play 100%, and it is important play few months in a row, no, without problem. That's what I need now, I think.

Q. What are your feelings about this tournament coming here to Indian Wells? You've been coming here for years. How do you like it here?
RAFAEL NADAL: One of my favorite tournaments, no, sure. If not the favorite.
You feel like you are not playing the tournament. You feel like a little bit out of the world here, so, yeah, I like a lot this tournament.
I'm sure I play really well all the time. Two semifinals, two victories, so it's good tournament for me. I like it a lot.

Q. Has your trainer or physio said that maybe there's something you can do different to avoid the injuries, or are they just saying, Bad luck, you've been playing tennis a long time, that's what happens, and maybe it happens again in three, four months?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. I know I work at what the doctor say to me. All the time I worked hard. When you have a problem, you just keep working. And, you know, I was there for the last five years without losing the top two positions, so that's very difficult.
I think I play -- my game is more aggressive, a little bit more aggressive than other games, so... but you can be outside of your best a few times and come back, no?
Important thing is be healthy for me, because I think I am playing well. The physio say me just keep working on the same thing, no? It was unlucky in Australia because I was wasn't really ready.

Q. The problem in Australia was not the same problem as --
RAFAEL NADAL: I have a little bit tear. I don't know. A little bit broken in the section of the tendon.

Q. We sent you the skeleton of you playing. We sent it to Spain with one of your coaches. But in the research center, we show that you were putting 5Gs on your legs when you made a sudden turn on the back foot. That's an awful lot of force. Our predictions are you're going to be injured again. Maybe we're wrong. We're hoping that we're wrong. But 5Gs is an awful lot of to put on your ankles and knees. I'm wondering what your thoughts are about that, because Djokovic disagrees. He says it's just from playing a lot from the baseline. (Translation.)
RAFAEL NADAL: No, no answer for this, because I don't know. Sorry. Well, I don't know. You might know more than me. (laughter.)

Q. Did you give any thought to just waiting till the clay court season to come back, just to avoid the beating of the hardcourt?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, I want to come back here. I don't want to wait until clay court season, no? I am focused on this tournament and focus on every tournament.

Q. Other than just playing well in the next few months, what are the immediate goals? What do you want to accomplish from here, say, until the end of the summer? What do you want to do? What are your goals from this day until the end of the summer?
RAFAEL NADAL: Play well. That's -- be healthy and play well. If I do both things, I gonna have good chances to play and have good tournaments and to have good results. My feeling is the level is there, much better than what I did the last six, seven, eight months.
I think my feeling the level is much better now. I work a lot in Mallorca the whole time, and I think I am playing really well. But, you know, is difficult to say.
Important thing is be healthy. If I am healthy, just can just play the tournaments that I have on the schedule, I have good chances, I think. We'll see what's going on, the results.

Q. Following up on that, your clay court schedule has always been pretty busy because you play Barcelona. This year, are you going to play Monte-Carlo, Rome, Madrid, Barcelona, Roland Garros, or is one of those going away this time?
RAFAEL NADAL: My schedule is the same like every year: Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, Rome, Madrid and Roland Garros. But we will see. We will see what's happen, but I don't think I have to change when the results was always really good doing the same.
The only thing what I did, what I changed two times, is don't play the last week. I didn't play in Hamburg two years. But for the rest, I don't know. I don't know. I really don't want to change if it's possible, you know.
I like to play in Barcelona. It's important tournament for me. I love Monte-Carlo, I love Rome, and I love Roland Garros.

Q. How crazy, how difficult is it for you when you are not playing? Do you really miss not playing when you're injured and can't play? Is it very frustrating?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, the life in Mallorca is not bad. (laughter.) That's the true. I'm lucky with that.
But, no, sure. The worst thing is when you are working hard and when you really feel ready, when you have another time of the injuries, that's hard to accept.
But that's the sport. I feel very lucky with 23 years old have what I have at this day, and at the same time I only have 23. Lot of times people forget that. Seems like I have 28. I have 23.

Q. On a much lighter note, the video you did with Shakira was sort of an Internet sensation. Have you gotten any feedback on that or what's the response been?
RAFAEL NADAL: You like it?

Q. I enjoyed it very much.
RAFAEL NADAL: I am happy for that. Yeah, it was -- it was a new experience for me. A different experience from what I did normally. I just like Shakira. It was special for me, and very good experience. Thanks very much to Shakira to think to do this with me. For me it was a pleasure. She's a very, very nice person.

Q. Did you like the video when you first saw it? Did you say, I can't believe I did that?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, I believe, because I did. (laughter.)
But, yes, well, I like it, yeah. Last few seconds. A little bit short, but, I enjoy it.

Q. Did Shakira like it? Did she talk to you afterward?
RAFAEL NADAL: I hope so.

End of FastScripts

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