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QATAR EXXONMOBILE OPEN

January 7, 2011

Rafael Nadal

DOHA, QATAR

N. DAVYDENKO/R. Nadal
6-3, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Well done on winning the doubles.
RAFAEL NADAL: Thank you.

Q. You how do you feel now? Do you feel any better or not?
RAFAEL NADAL: I feel okay, no? The problem is I'm not ready to play at that rhythm like the rhythm of Nikolay. Even in doubles, when I play a little bit longer points, I feel the strain, no?
Yep, I need a little bit rest and recover perfect now, because I was perfect, healthy physically, very healthy in Abu Dhabi last week. So, yeah, this week I had this problem, and every day I had troubles. Every day was difficult moments on court.
Finally I lost against a better player than me today, so that's all. Keep practicing, get healthy, and try my best in next tournament. Nothing to say today about the match, because he played much better than me, so I wasn't ready to play at that high rhythm today.

Q. We could see almost immediately that you were not very well. Were you actually worse today than you were yesterday?
RAFAEL NADAL: You know, yesterday I won. I was a little bit worse today, but yesterday I play a few -- I won a little bit more free points than today. So after that, when Nikolay move me around after three balls, four balls, I wasn't there, no? So mentally I was hurting me that, probably.
I felt tired for the moments because nothing to -- no one chance to win the match. I know that after four games, five games. So I thought real bad, but, you know, is difficult for me to go off court. It's not nice for the crowd, not nice for the tournament, not nice for the opponent, too, no?
So just try to be there, try to be -- I don't know. Try my best with the conditions, and just congratulate Davydenko.

Q. You said that you only had four days' rest between the seasons. Is that part of the reason why you're unwell now?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. I am not well because I was sick. I had a few days that I didn't feel really -- I felt bad, no? So I am not well now because after feeling sick, fever, you need a few days. The perfect thing is not compete every day, you know.
I competed three matches -- three sets against Lacko, difficult one. Yesterday not easy one against Gulbis. And today I wasn't there, no?
So is not because of the four days only of rest at end of the season. It is because I was sick. The four days -- you can be tired in the future, you can be tired mentally but not physically, because I practiced enough physically to be healthy, to be fit, no? You can have an injury but not -- I have to be fit because I worked a lot to be fit.

Q. What will you do now? Will go directly to Australia?
RAFAEL NADAL: I have few more days here. It is too much to go to Australia today or tomorrow. I maybe gonna fly on Sunday, Sunday night.
So, yeah, right now is only few days of rest here and enjoy a little bit in Doha, improve the health these days. The goal right now is when I arrive to Australia on Monday, be ready to practice at 100% and Tuesday. If it happen, I have more than enough time to be ready for Australia.

Q. So the reason for staying is to get healthy, is it, the reason you are staying here?
RAFAEL NADAL: I stay here because I have to get health before travel, because doing the plane sometimes is worse. And at the same time I don't have nothing to do right now in Australia.
I didn't stop. I practiced every day since I fly Mallorca to Abu Dhabi. With my conditions right now I think the more reasonable thing to do is rest a few days and less risk of injuries, less risk of everything, no?

Q. If you win the Australian Open you'll have all four Grand Slams. Is this in your head, or do you keep that out of your head?
RAFAEL NADAL: In my head is try to be very competitive in one week and one day and play my best. That's what's in my head. And try to play well the first round.
After that is difficult to think more when you are playing a very difficult tournament like Australian Open. For sure it is extra motivation, but the motivation is playing well in Australia, not the fourth in a row. I am sure gonna be the only one opportunity that I gonna have in my life. I don't gonna have more of these opportunities to win all four in a row.

Q. Obviously it's been a very tough week this week. There has been a lot of people that's lived with you, all your fans, especially, globally. Is there a message that you'd like to give them because of your condition? Is there anything you'd like to say to them?
RAFAEL NADAL: Say what?

Q. In terms of your performance this week. Is there a message for your fans?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't have any message for my fans. I try my best every day and is impossible to win every week, no?
Just thanks to the fans for support me every day around the world, and thanks to the Doha tournament, to the organization, for give me all the facilities to do it. So was everything perfect always here in Doha and happy to come back here this year. Hopefully come back here next year, and we will see what's going on, but for me is a pleasure to be here in Doha.

End of FastScripts

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