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AEGON CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 9, 2010

Rafael Nadal

LONDON, ENGLAND

R. NADAL/M. Daniel
6-2, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. So after two years off the grass, what's it like to play it again?
RAFAEL NADAL: I play a little bit in exhibitions.

Q. I mean real tennis.
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah. I practice terrible those days. Yesterday, well, wasn't lucky for me because the day when I arrive I only can practice 15 minutes and with that conditions, raining and with the balls too heavy.
And yesterday, you know, after all the final, doing press, doing a little bit of celebration, next day photo in the morning, coming back to London, I was really tired yesterday, no?
So I practiced very bad yesterday. During the morning I did a little bit better but still bad. And I really would love to have the doubles before the singles, but anyway, today during the match in singles I felt well.
I felt returning well. That's the most difficult thing for me. I feel good returns. The serve, I was serving well in Roland Garros and I did the same here, I think.

Q. You feel you move well, as well? You move well?
RAFAEL NADAL: You have to adapt a little bit more, no?
I think to be the first day, sure, I had good movements. But probably Marcos Daniel is a clay court player I think more than grass court player, and that makes the match for me a little bit easier, because the points was logical points, no? It wasn't one serve, one forehand winner. So it's more the normal points, so wasn't very big change.

Q. Can you compare how you're feeling now compared to 12 months ago obviously when you played at Hurlingham and had to go home.
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, it's difficult to compare, because the conditions are completely different. One year ago I was injured and now I am not injured. That's the big difference.

Q. But how difficult was it for you to miss Wimbledon, and did you watch any it?
RAFAEL NADAL: Wasn't really difficult for me, because I wasn't ready to play. Was more difficult to accept that I had the injury that don't play Wimbledon, because I wasn't ready to play Wimbledon and to try to have a good result there. Maybe with that conditions, I wasn't able to win three matches there.

Q. Did you watch any of the tournament? Did you watch any of the final?
RAFAEL NADAL: I watched the final. Nothing else more. I watched the final, yeah. All the final. It was real emotional final, yeah.

Q. Because you have transferred in 2008 from clay to grass and were so successful, mentally is it much easier now to deal with this move?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, you know, after having the good results on grass, having won final -- well, one champion here and two finals and one champion there in Wimbledon, sure, I start to believe I can play well on this surface, no?
So that makes me feel a little bit better mentally when I came back here, but at the same time I need the time because I have to adapt, and that's needs more days, I think.

Q. Do you think the hardest transition of all in tennis is from five sets on clay to three sets on grass? Because you can have ten minutes of bad tennis and you're out.
RAFAEL NADAL: Touch the ball, probably no. But compete, yes, because the way that you have to compete is completely different, and the way that you have to play the points is different. The movements are completely different, and you have to be very focused all the time.
Sure, on clay you have to be very focused all the time, too, but you have time. So here if you -- you can lose a game on clay and you have come back. Here, if you lose your serve, is gonna be very difficult to come back. So that's a big difference, no?

Q. How does it feel to be No. 1 again?
RAFAEL NADAL: Nothing special. Nothing special for me. I told you a lot of times for me wasn't a goal be No. 1. I am No. 1. Yes, I'm very happy to be No. 1, but I No. 1 because I did the things well for the last probably year.
Anyway, if I haven't big results the second half of the year last year, I have very regular results and I wasn't able to -- I wasn't ready to win important tournaments, but I was ready to be in the semifinals, and I was in the semifinals all the time, so that's was very positive point for me.
This year I started the year with completely different level. I played -- my feeling was in all the tournaments that I played I had the chance to win the tournament, and that's very good news because seems like you are ready to beat against everybody, no?
Be No. 1? Very good news, but that's makes me more happy be healthy, watching me I had the opportunity to be competing at the top level, and sure, win Roland Garros.

Q. Two of the times you were in London last year with the Hurlingham match and then with the O2 Arena when your knees were hurting again and you were very --
RAFAEL NADAL: What?

Q. I said last year was obviously a difficult year, as you said, at Roland Garros. Were those two of the worst sort of moments of that year when you were in London before at Hurlingham and at the O2.
RAFAEL NADAL: Worst moment was when I lost in Roland Garros and when I had to -- when I felt bad after Roland Garros, during other places, and I wasn't -- my knees wasn't work well. So during other places was hard for me.
And after that when I had to stop during the summer, sure, was a difficult moment. In the end of the season here, sure, is not nice to be on court and to play like I played in the Masters, but that's part of the sport. I was healthy in that moment, but I had too many problems during all the season, and I arrived in last tournament of season in not in the best moment, about the level of tennis, about the confidence. I played in the more difficult surface for me against the best players of the world. So that was the result, no answer.

Q. Do you think you're a better player now than you were Wimbledon 2008? And if so, what specifically -- especially on grass.
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. I don't know. You know, sometimes happen when you look the matches, last matches seems like you are playing better than a few years ago, but if you have a video and you watch the match in Wimbledon against Murray quarterfinals, against Federer the final, is difficult to be playing much better than that, no, for me.
And, you know, seems like on clay I improved a lot for these years. I think I am better player because I am more complete player. But if you see the final, you know, in Roland Garros the first time, and there was the final in Rome against Coria, and it was a very high level, no?
The level wasn't much better this year than that match, know? Probably in general I am better player because I am running less than before, but that's all.

Q. How many times have you watched the 2008 final?
RAFAEL NADAL: Complete final? Not one time. I watch moments of the final a lot of times.

Q. Have you found a solution to the knee problem?
RAFAEL NADAL: I am not -- I don't have pain now. I worked a lot, and for the moment I am well but never know if that's forever. But for moment we found a solution.

Q. What have you done to help it?
RAFAEL NADAL: A lot of things, so it's impossible to say one.

Q. The most important thing?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. I don't know.

Q. You're world No. 1 again, but Wimbledon has this ability to change the seeding 1 and 2 if it looks at the previous record. Will you expect to be No. 1 seed at Wimbledon this year?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't expect nothing, because doesn't gonna affect nothing if I am No. 1 seed or I am No. 2 seed.

Q. Won't mean anything to you?
RAFAEL NADAL: If I am No. 3 maybe, yes, gonna be a surprise for me. (Laughter.)
Being No. 1 or No. 2, no, doesn't make any difference. I am happy with both things.

Q. Is what happened on Sunday still in your mind, or is that now in the past and it's all concentration on grass and what's coming up?
RAFAEL NADAL: Oh, sure is still on my mind because it was emotional moment for me. But I have to play today. I have to play tomorrow. I'm happy to be playing on grass another time, because for me I enjoy a lot because I have to do different things, and for me always is a challenge to be here and to practice these new things: the serve, the volley, the slice, return more inside than clay. So I enjoy doing this transition, too.
After Wimbledon, the summer I'm gonna have time to enjoy the victory of Roland Garros and to enjoy Majorca.

Q. Playing on grass, is it easier for your knees or do you worry about twisting on grass?
RAFAEL NADAL: Worse things -- bad things can happen every surface. For me, the worst surface is hardcourt; not grass, not clay. Hardcourt is very difficult, is very, very aggressive for the ankles, for the knees, for everything, for the back, you know.
Yeah, seems like the tennis is always moving to this way to play more and more in these kind of surfaces, but my feeling is always a big mistake because the grass is soft, the clay is soft, and the movements are more -- I don't know the word exactly in English.

Q. Natural?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, more natural. On grass -- in grass you arrive and you have to stop and you come back. On hard you arrive, and all the time very aggressive. I think that's bad for the knees and sure for the ankles, for everything. I feel it worse when I played on hard and than the rest of the surface.

Q. Last Saturday for the first time an Italian woman won Roland Garros. After winning, Francesca Schiavone told us that she was wondering what you thought about her win, and she was very keen to know your opinion because you are the master of the clay. Can you tell us if you met her, what did you say? What's your opinion about her victory?
RAFAEL NADAL: I didn't met her after the final. I just watch her before the final. I say, Good luck.
Sure, is important victory for her. Very important I think because she's a fighter, I think. She has a perfect game to play well on clay. That's my feeling. Sure, she had amazing tournament. Just congratulate her for this good effort.

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