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ROGERS CUP MEN

August 12, 2010

Rafael Nadal

TORONTO, ONTARIO

R. NADAL/K. Anderson
6-2, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Obviously his serve is the biggest weapon, and in the beginning you seemed to have a lot of trouble with it, but after about two-and-a-half games you were able to break him. What kind of adjustments did you make?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I started to return the second serve inside the court. In the beginning, I was returning three meters behind the baseline. After, I returned the second serve on the line. So, yes, this was important point, but after that first set wasn't easy to return the second serve inside, too, you know, because he change it a lot, the directions and the -- yeah, he serve it with slice, he serve it with topspin, so wasn't easy, no?
Anyway, seemed like I had the match under control in the second, 4-2, but I had two mistakes with my forehand, and he played two good points. And after that, yeah, was really tough second set, no? But I am very happy how I played, especially the first set. It was very good.

Q. Over and over again, you continue in the big moments to bring the best tennis. What is the secret formula? What do you do out there?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. (Smiling.)
I don't know, no? I just think point by point, and I think I am exactly the same nervous like everybody, and, you know, some moments you play better; some moments you play worse, no?
I never played well these all important moments, no? When you are playing well and when you are with confidence in these moments, the things -- you are ready to play your best tennis. When you are without confidence without winning matches, you have more problems at these moments no? It happened to me last year the second part of the year, last six months of 2009.
So, you know, I never played well in important moments, but now I am playing much better, and for that reason I can play well better important moments.

Q. Earlier this week Federer was in this room and he was asked a question, Would you guys ever get together as a team to play doubles? He says, and I quote, the media wouldn't like it because we see you guys as rivals, but he said, Yeah, I would team up with him. So what do you say? When is the dream team getting together?
RAFAEL NADAL: (Through translation.) Well, I never had any problem, for sure. I will be -- I would love to play with Roger. I think we had a lot of important moments. We lived a lot of important moments together in our career, so that's good life experience to play with him, too.
I did with Novak. I played doubles with different partners, so I love play doubles. For me, gonna be a pleasure if any day Roger wants to play with me.

Q. Maybe next year at the Rogers Cup, you guys double up?
RAFAEL NADAL: Tomorrow ask him.

Q. Okay. I will get back to you.
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. I don't know.

Q. I'm curious, when you were younger and you switched from hitting with your right hand to your left hand, how did your Uncle Toni come up with the idea to try that? And how difficult was it for you at that age to switch from hitting right-handed to left-handed?
RAFAEL NADAL: That never happened. No, no, no. Wasn't an idea of Uncle Toni. For sure is impossible to change the right for the left, no?
I started playing tennis with two backhands, playing two hands forehand, two hands backhand, and one day I had to start playing, but we didn't decide I have to play with the left or I have to play with the right.
The natural thing for me was play with the left. That's the thing, no? I played football with the left all my life. That's true. With the rest things of the life, like eat, have the feeling of to give something or to take something, I do everything with the right, no?
But the feeling for the sport, I always had the feeling with the left.

Q. Spanish athletes seem to be winning everything these days, in tennis, cycling, football, basketball. How do you explain that?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. I think we are a little bit lucky to have a lot of good sportsmans at the same generation. That's a little bit of lucky, for sure.
And second thing is because the things that we had was the right things, no? So I don't know. I think in Spain is big for sport, and for sure in cycling, Contador did unbelievable the last four years, winning three tours and the other one he can't participate, but he won the Giro d'Italia. So was amazing.
And in Formula 1, Alonso is doing well. In MotoGP we were leading the three competitions, Lorenzo, Marcos, and Alia. So everything is going perfect, no?
We won the World Cup and Gasol won the NBA. We can ask more, and I don't know why, but we are in a very good way now. We have to enjoy these moments, but it's going to be very difficult to repeat, I think.

Q. I'd like to congratulate you and your country for what you've achieved so far. How do you see the support that you've generated so far in Toronto compared to other places you've been this year?
RAFAEL NADAL: Support of the crowds? I feel perfect here. I always feel great. The crowd was always perfect with me. They make me feel like home, and for me, always is a pleasure be in Canada here, and Montreal, I won in both tournaments.
So I had the very nice memories from both, in Montreal because I won my first title on hardcourt, and in Toronto because when I won in 2008 was the last tournament before being No. 1. So winning this tournament I did this effort, no?
So anyway, they make me feel perfect and I'm very happy here in Montreal and in Toronto.

Q. Can you comment on former No. 1, Thomas Muster, asking for your assistance during the fall season in his comeback to tennis?
RAFAEL NADAL: (Through translation.) Well, if he wants to come to Mallorca and practice with me in December, I will be happy. That's the only way that I can help him, but gonna be nice and gonna be good fun for terrific comeback.

Q. After traveling to South Africa and being with the Spanish team for the World Cup, how do you compare the emotions you've had and the victories in tennis to there, and your emotions on the World Cup?
RAFAEL NADAL: It's completely different. It's impossible to compare, but live that moment there with the players and with the stadium, be there on the stadium when we won the World Cup was just amazing, no?
When the referee finish the match, I was crying, so was, you know, for us in Spain was a big tradition of football. Is king sport, so we deserve to win that title so much.
We did amazing the last 20 years, having a lot of unlucky quarterfinals, the referees was so hard with us in the States, in Korea, and Japan. Well, we deserve really to win that title, and I am a big, big fan of football and was very emotional that moment.

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