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DAVIS CUP BY BNP PARIBAS WORLD GROUP FINAL: ARGENTINA v SPAINDecember 4, 2011Juan Martin Del PotroDavid NalbandianTito VazquezSEVILLE, SPAIN R. NADAL – J. Del Potro THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish. Q. I know it's a sad day, but you have tried hard. It was very difficult to win in Spain. For Tito, he prepared good tactics, and then he was thinking about whether David should have played or not. How do you see this? CAPTAIN VAZQUEZ: I don't understand the question. Q. Can you tell us your feelings? It was difficult to win Spain, but if somebody made it hard, it was you. CAPTAIN VAZQUEZ: We always respect Spain. Spain, playing on clay, as a local team, this is one of the best teams in history, but we prepared thoroughly and I'm very proud of the team for the effort that they have made to come here. Since they won, all players knew that the point was very important. This is what happens in sports. Sometimes you lose; sometimes you win. It was our turn to lose this time, but we were very close. If the first day we could have finished 1‑1, we would have been better today, but I'm very proud of the performance of the whole team. Q. For Juan Martin, what happened, if it was the crowd that helped you in the fourth, between the third and the fourth set, that you changed a lot? You forgot about your tiredness and you were really strong coming out of the bench to play that set. Was it the crowd that cheered you, that motivated your recovery? JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: A bit of everything, really. In the third set‑‑ no, in the fourth set, Rafa was really controlling the game, and I knew that it was possibly the last set of the tie. The very little energy I had, I had to put it in the court with the help of the crowd, with the help of my team. And with my concentration, I could give the last bit of energy I had. If I did a good match, despite of losing, I felt that once again I was very close to winning. Q. Juan, I know it was a difficult weekend. You played almost nine hours. Sometimes you get no reward despite the hard work that you did, and the team. I wanted to ask you, now that we are about to finish the Davis Cup, what are your feelings, bearing in mind Friday you couldn't win the match, and today that you started winning, the support of your crowd, and the gesture of Nadal, going to say hello to the Argentinian team first before celebrating with his own team? JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: That was such a long question, but I got lost in the question. Now we are not as we would like to be because we have lost, but with time, and once we think about this with a cold spirit, I think both my colleagues and I must be happy that we have done a good job, not only in this tie but the whole Davis Cup here. We have done a good job. That is why we are here now, and we were very close and we could fight. We could fight Spain in home turf, and we could feel that we could win Spain. But beyond the defeat, I am particularly happy because of what the team gave me and what my colleagues gave me and their support so that I could play better. Q. Listening to Tito, I have a question for David and for Juan Martin. I want to ask you if you can compare the feeling you have today with the feeling you had in 2008 with the defeat then? DAVID NALBANDIAN: We must be happy and proud with what we did, each of us: the players, the technical team, everybody. As Juan Martin said, we have done a great year. In some of the series we were all together. In some of the other ties, it was only some of us. And we got here in the best possible physical condition. We prepared a very tough tie. We knew what Spain was, and it has been proven that Spain as a local team is really difficult to beat. But we are happy because each player gave his best. We were giving each other support all the time. Sometimes things don't come out okay, but we are proud and happy with our work here to try and win. Sometimes, unfortunately, the opponent is better and that's the way it is. JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: I fully agree. Each of us in this team prepared in the best possible way, and that is why the boys, yesterday they won in doubles match, because they practiced really well and I practiced my singles very well, too, as well as Pico, even though for Pico the result was worse, but he did a good rubber and a good practice. As David said, I am also‑‑ I am not feeling as I would like to feel, but with time, I will have it as a good memory despite the defeat. Q. For Juan Martin, for next year, do you have the Davis Cup in your schedule or now are you only thinking about your individual career? And for David, you are more experienced and you have three finals. What did you say to Juan Martin when the match was finished and you went to hug him? JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: I have just lost the final. The next year, it's a long way away. DAVID NALBANDIAN: What do you tell a colleague when things didn't work out and he did his best? I said something that stays in the team, something between two colleagues. Q. For Juan Martin, do you think you faced the best of Rafa today? JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Yes. Despite he is not at his best physical condition, for the rest of us clay players, he is too good. And Ferrer is also at the same level. I did good, two good games, and I didn't make it. But we did our best. We did everything we could and Spain won us. Q. For David, I know that you've just finished the final and next year is a long way away. Next year we have the Olympic Games. Are you going to prioritize the Olympic Games defending Argentina or your individual career? DAVID NALBANDIAN: Olympic Games are always important, and I wish I can be there, and the Davis Cup is something that is important for me and I always bear it in mind. Q. Juan Martin, you served to win the fourth set before the tiebreak. Were you thinking about a fifth set then? Did you feel strong or did you see that there was a wall in front of you? JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: My serve was very difficult to win. Rafa played really well. I knew that I couldn't easily close that set, but at this time the crowd was helping me a lot. Especially in the tiebreak I had a very quick advantage, and then it was really difficult for me. Q. For David, obviously we could see that the Davis Cup is not only a matter of players but also surface, draw results. Next year Argentina goes to Germany, and then all the big ones: France, Spain, Russia, the States. If Argentina qualifies, they should go to Argentina to play. Do you think the next year you will have a good Davis Cup? Could you next year win the cup with your very good doubles match, with the singles that you play really well? Can you dream next year? DAVID NALBANDIAN: Yes. With time we have managed to get a good team, but unfortunately we haven't been able to make it yet. Next year we have a very tough series in Germany. We have to prepare really well, being be in our best physical condition because it will not be easy.  And then after then we have more chances, but clay for us is better. However, against France and against Spain we should think about it, give it a second thought if clay is good or not, because there are some countries that play really well in clay. If we are playing locally, it's going to be a tough year, as well. Q. For Spain, you have not won the final but I want to congratulate the whole team for an extraordinary job this weekend, and especially Juan Martin, because you have made it very difficult for Nadal in clay in Spain. After five hours the other day, for you, that is not easy. Congratulations. JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Thank you. I want to thank Spaniards. They have been really nice to us. It has been truly a wonderful weekend to enjoy tennis in Spain. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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