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MONTE-CARLO ROLEX MASTERS

April 14, 2011

Rafael Nadal

MONTE CARLO, MONACO

R. NADAL/R. Gasquet
6-2, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What is your feeling about the match of today? The end of the second set, more tight, but a strong start.
RAFAEL NADAL: No, I think always was tough games at the beginning, but I won both. Was the break the first game, so that was very important for the confidence. And in general I think I played a very solid match, no?
I'm very happy how I played today. I think I played better than yesterday, easier. I think I play much better than yesterday is what I felt, no?
In general, I think was a very positive victory against a very difficult opponent.

Q. Richard said when the ball is on your forehand, for him it's like the point is nearly over. Did you feel the same when you were going for your forehand?
RAFAEL NADAL: For sure, no. I feel when I'm playing well with the forehand, is very important shot for me. So I can have the control of the point most of the time with the forehand. That's my style always, no?
When I am playing well with the forehand, everything is a little bit less difficult, the rest of the shots.

Q. Yesterday and also the day before you played around the club and the restaurant. Today there was construction. Can you hear that? Does that disturb you?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. Nothing, no.

Q. Did the conditions of the court at first seem a little more wet when you started the match? Did that make a difference throughout the game?
RAFAEL NADAL: I didn't feel no one difference, no. I think the court is good, like usual. Everything is perfect. I think no problems.

Q. And what about your next opponent, Ljubicic?
RAFAEL NADAL: He's a very experienced player. He played well against Berdych. I saw him play in the locker room. It's going to be a really difficult match tomorrow. I have to play like today if I want to have chances, and that's what I'm going to try.

Q. Do you think your preparation for the clay season is totally the same as the previous years or are you planning to change something? Every year it looks like you play better and better, new shots. Do you plan to change something in your preparation?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know which preparation.

Q. For the clay.
RAFAEL NADAL: But what preparation? I practiced three days, so is nothing that you can prepare for the clay season. You arrive from Miami on Tuesday, I practiced Wednesday, so just try to adapt a little bit to the surface. You can't prepare one shot. You can't prepare nothing. The only thing you can try is adapt to the court, run, the movements.
A lot of things you have to change from hard to clay to play well. Is no time to try to do something different. Always is the same. If we compare today from 2006, for example, I am sure I play more aggressive than before. I'm playing more inside and running sometimes less than before because I'm not defending all the time. But that's a change. But that's happened in all the surfaces, not only on clay.
Is the game, global game, is changing, not something specific on clay I think.

Q. On clay do you change your tactics against a player like Djokovic? After Miami, do you feel more of a challenge against him? Would you use different tactics than you did before?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. I think everybody try his best, and you can't change a lot of tactics because you have your style. You can make some adjustments. But big changes is impossible because I don't want to do serve and volley because I don't know how to do it.
That's the way. That's my style. You can play more aggressive, a little bit less aggressive, I don't know. But, seriously, I was two points away from the title in Miami and I was very close in Indian Wells in that second set. Seems like I didn't play bad.
I don't have to change a lot of things to try to win the next match, just play a little bit better than what I did in those two matches. I wasn't far.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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