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WIMBLEDON

June 26, 2010

Rafael Nadal

LONDON, ENGLAND

R. NADAL/P. Petzschner
6-4, 4-6, 6-7, 6-2, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please, for Rafael Nadal.

Q. Was it fair to be warned about coaching? You looked very angry.
RAFAEL NADAL: Sometimes, yes. Not today, in my opinion. But, yes, sometimes in the past Toni talk maybe too much. And when it happened, and the referee or the umpire give me an advice, and if it is continuing, later a warning.
But not today, in my opinion. Yeah, no.

Q. After your incredible clay court season, now 13 sets in one week in Wimbledon, how are you feeling right now emotionally and physically?
RAFAEL NADAL: Emotionally perfect. I fighted a lot last two matches. I think I played very good tennis. But I told before the tournament, the draw gonna be difficult. That's what happen when you play against these player that they have very good serve. So all decide in a few points and everything is very difficult, no?
Physical, I have a little bit problem on the right knee. But, you know, I have one day and a half to get recovered. I happy to be in the fourth round. For me it very good news, having very tough matches and in the end winning. So that's a very positive thing mentally.

Q. Do you think it's taken you longer to settle in because it's been two years since you've been on grass?
RAFAEL NADAL: No.

Q. You were saying something from the baseline to the umpire, shouting at him, gesturing at him. What were you saying to him?
RAFAEL NADAL: I was saying, We gonna talk with the supervisor later.

Q. And did you?
RAFAEL NADAL: Not yet.

Q. Will you?
RAFAEL NADAL: I will, yeah. I will because today for me wasn't -- Toni wasn't give me any tip. He was only supporting me. When he put me warning, he said positive, you know.

Q. How much are you worried about your knee? Is there a risk you should skip the Davis Cup tie after Wimbledon?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah. Well, sure, I am a little bit scared about the knee. But, you know, it happen. I had a treatment after Monte-Carlo. So I had the problem. I didn't say nothing before, but you know, guys, how is everything. I had the problem against Roddick in the semifinals of Miami.
I don't like to say nothing in that moment because when you lose, always looks like an excuse. But I can say now I had the problem after I played in Monte-Carlo with a little bit of pain on the knee, on the left knee, because that's what happened there.
After Monte-Carlo, I didn't play Barcelona because I had to do a treatment, new treatment. You know, I tried to play the clay season perfect because in that moment the right knee was better than the left. But at the same time I know the knees are not hundred percent recovered. But playing on clay and maybe on grass, if is not very long matches, can work well.
But the last treatments I did between Monte-Carlo and Rome was perfect. I didn't have no one more problem on the left knee. But just I did one time, and I need to do three times.
I didn't have time to do it at the right knee before because I had to play. The clay season was my main goal of the season. After here I gonna do it another time, no? My goals for me is a big disappointment not be in the Davis Cup on France, you know. Some confrontations, if you play at home against some country, maybe you cannot play this one. But playing in France for me is a very special confrontation and a very big motivation for me.
But I talked with the captain, I talked with the president of the Federation a few days ago, and I said, Guys, I never arrive to the US Open with my hundred percent of conditions. I had last year broken abdominal, two years ago playing crazy here. After Olympics, I did arrive very tired. And I really want to try to go there with my best chances, no, to play, to play my hundred percent.
So I need to do this treatment after here. If I play Davis Cup, I don't have enough time to recover and play tournaments, Cincinnati. Everything was perfect for me last few months, and I need to be ready to finish the season well. My goal is try to keep having the chance to be No. 1 for the rest of the season. That's gonna be difficult. But if you are not in hundred percent of condition, is going to be impossible.

Q. Philipp said you were running exactly the same before and after the timeout. He said you could have played another two or three sets. He said it was a clever timeout because it broke his concentration. What do you think about that?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, everything is fair to think what they want. I never call a treatment -- I never call the physio when I don't have nothing, not one time in my career. If I call the physio today, it was because it was bothering me a lot, the knee, no?
The last day, it starts a little bit, and I didn't call the physio because I can't resist that. But today I needed to take little bit time. I have the quadriceps muscle very tight and I need to relax it a little bit. Maybe with this relaxation, the knee works a little bit better.
That's why I called the physio.

Q. How bad is your knee right now? You said you're scared. What are you scared of?
RAFAEL NADAL: My knee is like this. I don't know how bad is my knee. My knee, I can finish the match. We will see how is going the next day. But, you know, I am here to try my best and to try to keep in the tournament and playing well, no? I am not thinking about scared or retired or something like this. That's not going to happen.

Q. You did say a little while ago you were scared. What does scare you about the knee, maybe long term if not for this moment?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, no, I not scared, because I know what I have on the knee, is not something new, is something from the past. I know what I have to do to recover the knee. I didn't have time to do it before here. But after, I have the new treatment.
With the new treatment, the left knee works perfect. So when I going to do that to the right, hopefully that's going to be the same.

Q. What special treatment?
RAFAEL NADAL: For me I can't explain now, especially in English. Sorry.

Q. Can you finish the tournament? Do you feel physically strong enough you can really mount a challenge and beat Roger if the occasion comes?
RAFAEL NADAL: I play against Mathieu. Roger in the other part of the draw. I am focused on my part. I won a very important match for me today and I am focused on the next match against Mathieu and playing well. But Mathieu going to be very difficult match.

Q. Was there something with your arm as well that the trainer was looking at?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yes. I called the physio because after one serve I felt something here. But I told the physio I don't want to take out the medical treatment. So Petzschner must know that, too.
I didn't want to have the treatment because I feel it a little bit better after the game. I feel something after one serve. I said to the umpire, Please call the trainer for the next changeover. I can finish the game playing well. When I finish the game, I feel it well, so I don't need the trainer.

Q. Even the best players are involved in tough battles early on. Is this because it's very hot and it's hard to break serve? Is there any other reason the best players are having trouble?
RAFAEL NADAL: It's because we are playing in a very difficult tournament. We're playing in a Grand Slam, the fastest Grand Slam of the world.
If you play against players when they have very good serve, is very difficult to break, break the serve of these players. After that, if you have two bad points with your serve, the match will be very difficult.

Q. We know you're a big football fan, looking forward to Spain and Portugal. What do you think about England and Germany tomorrow?
RAFAEL NADAL: Close. Going to be close. Going to be very nice match, I think. Disappointing for the World Cup have these very strong teams at the Round of 16. But that's the sport. We will see what's happen. But I going to be in front of the TV.

Q. With all the ways your game depends on your legs, the power you get from your legs, with all these problems with your knees, does that affect you at all on court? Do you think about it?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. I was perfect mentally for all the year, no? I think that doesn't affect to my mind. Sometimes in the past, yes, when I don't know exactly what happen. I know right now exactly what happen and what I have to do to pull out this pain.
So I gonna do it after this tournament and try my best on this tournament. I definitely going to have a break to change that I hope for a long time.

Q. The player you played today said there are a lot of players coming up here better than they used to be. They give you a good chase at the moment. Is that what you feel? Are the players that challenge you now at the moment, are they better than they used to be?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. Philipp has very good potential, very good serve, very good forehand, very good slice backhand. He served well all the time, and especially in the difficult moments.
So, no, I think the players are playing similar like always. But on grass, especially everything is more difficult.

Q. Can you clarify about how your arm feels now?
RAFAEL NADAL: The arm is perfect. Work perfect. Perfect. Perfect is perfect.

End of FastScripts

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