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U.S. OPEN

September 8, 2011

Rafael Nadal

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

R. NADAL/G. Muller
7-6, 6-1, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you talk about the rain and what happened yesterday at all?
RAFAEL NADAL: You watch me on the TV or not?

Q. Yeah, I did.
RAFAEL NADAL: You want me to repeat everything?

Q. Well, wondering if anything has changed since then to your match today. Andy Roddick had to move courts. Just curious if you've changed...
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know what's going on with the match between Andy and David. I don't know exactly how was the situation. I normally don't talk a lot about the things I don't know. So I prefer ask them what's happening, and that's it.
Is from another match, so they gonna have better information than myself. I was playing.

Q. How hard was it for you to start the match today knowing you were down 3-Love, down a break, and you had to think about it overnight and come back out today and start another day?
RAFAEL NADAL: It's best of five. Playing against Muller, he has fantastic serve, so I know I can go on court and lose the first set. That's the normal thing, no?
But I go on court, try my best every in moment and trying to produce any opportunity to have the break back. I did. I had the break. I was very happy, because I started the match with good feelings.
It's not easy because he plays aggressive, he plays with mistakes, but at the same time with winners. So it's difficult to have the right rhythm against him.

Q. At the start of the seventh game, were you thinking that that was the time to break him? You were very active in the return of service.
RAFAEL NADAL: In the 4-2, seventh game?

Q. Right.
RAFAEL NADAL: I try my best in every return. (Smiling.) I don't feel more active in that game than other games. I felt that if I don't have the break there gonna be very difficult to have the break later, because with the 4-2, I have to go back to the other side against the wind with new balls, 5-2.
So I thought that if I don't have that break with the 4-2 to 4-3 I gonna lose the first set.

Q. Specifically about today, what do you think about your game is working and what do you think really put him offbalance?
RAFAEL NADAL: I think I did well. I did what I had to do. I served with high percentage. I don't have a lot of unforced errors. I had very few.
When I had the chance to attack, I did. I played few fantastic passing shots today. That's important against one player like Muller.
For the rest, I said before, is difficult to find the rhythm, to hit six, seven, eight balls with good feeling against a player like Muller. But what I can do, I did well.

Q. You're looking at playing four matches in four days, possibly.
RAFAEL NADAL: I am in quarterfinals.

Q. Right. But the person from your side of the draw to emerge will have to play four matches in four days.
RAFAEL NADAL: That's not fair, but that's what it is.
Here in the Grand Slams, if I am in the position of the US Open or Wimbledon or Australia, Roland Garros, I will do the same. Why not? I had a lot of interesting meeting with the TV, with everybody, that for sure is better to have the final on Sunday for them.
But not for the players, because our part of the draw will be in a very difficult situation for the player who will be in the final. The semifinals maybe, too, because two days in a row playing tough matches is difficult. The matches, quarterfinals, semifinals, four rounds of Grand Slam normally are tough matches. If you don't have rest, you have a big chance not be enough fit to play well the next match.
But the problem is we need to have the right representation in these tournaments. You know, I don't know how, but things like this cannot happen. Having the semifinals on Saturday, you know, is something crazy for the players.
Last year it was the final on Monday. So is something that in my opinion cannot happen, and the players are important part of the show. My opinion.
No, the tournament -- I said is not only the players, the tournament is not important without the players. Is a big tournament, and that's the true. The US Open is -- probably more important is the US Open than the players, but the players are a big part of this show. The fans are a big part of this show.
Yesterday you cannot like fans going on court for five, ten minutes, because never stops the rain. So the problem, in my opinion, is not the organization of the US Open. The problem is we don't have enough power in these kind of tournaments. That's what have to change very soon.

Q. Last night when you left here, can you speak about what you did, when you got to sleep. Was it difficult to sort of come down off the night?
RAFAEL NADAL: Calm down? I'm very calm. (Laughter.) Seriously. I was upset when I went on court raining. That's upset for me, but I am a really quiet guy. Seriously, you know, I went to sleep earlier than ever, and finally I did. I slept at 11:00.

Q. Don't you think that players have some responsibility if situation is like this? Don't you think that already in the past the players should have done something to fight against a Super-Saturday? They should have done something to avoid the first round that ends on Wednesday and all those kind of things? Because you have more power than you think, but you should be more united than you are. That's my opinion.
RAFAEL NADAL: Thank you.

Q. I want to know you, what you think about it.
RAFAEL NADAL: About?

Q. About all this, what I said.
RAFAEL NADAL: I think the players have a good union. We don't want to fight with nobody. We don't like the problems from yesterday. We like to be here. We like to be in good relationships with everybody.
The problem is to change situations seems like for the right way is impossible. So probably we have to find another way.

Q. To just follow up on that, there are people...
RAFAEL NADAL: If you want to keep talking about that, you know, I am not feeling very comfortable, especially because sometimes the words can be too hard, but is for my English. My arguments can be less than usual for my English.
So if you want to talk about next match, if you want to talk about, I am happy. But keep talking about that, for me in English will be tough. I said what I have to say, and I don't feel any more comfortable talking about that, especially because my English is not enough good to talk about that.

Q. Can you just say what kind of reaction you've gotten from other players who maybe weren't even here yesterday but heard what you and the Andys did?
RAFAEL NADAL: Everybody's agree. I think everybody's agree that these things have to change. We don't wanted in the past to change the situation without doing the right things. Was impossible talking. I have to talk with the players. We have to talk together at meetings and everything.
But we have to fight stronger to have more power or, you know, I said before... (Spanish.)
BENITO PEREZ: Representatives, feel that they have more power, more things to say so that they can be better represented.

Q. Would you address the topic of your next match, as you suggested, facing Andy Roddick? How would you describe that challenge for you?
RAFAEL NADAL: The match is not over. It's two sets to love, but David is back up. Andy is a fantastic player. He's having one of the best careers, being in the top players for, I don't know, 11 years, 10 years, 9 years. That's a lot. That's amazing. So I have big respect for Andy, especially he's very tough to be there for a long time and he did.
So will be a big test for me if I play against him. Even if I play against David Ferrer. Quarterfinals, the matches must be very tough, and that's what's gonna happen, gonna be a very difficult match against Andy, against David, because that's the normal thing.

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