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QATAR EXXONMOBILE OPENJanuary 4, 2012Rafael NadalDOHA, QATAR R. NADAL/D. Gremelmayr THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. That seemed a lot more satisfactory today than yesterday. Is that correct? RAFAEL NADAL: No, I think yesterday I had a very good match. I am satisfied today and very satisfied from yesterday. Yesterday was the first match against very difficult opponent, so was a fantastic victory for me, no? Today the conditions was difficult ones, but I think I played another solid match, having a few things, doing a few things really well. But yesterday I finished the match very well, too. So happy, similar. Q. What was good about today? Your movement and preparation for your shots with your footwork? Was that one of the things? RAFAEL NADAL: I think I did almost everything okay, no? I think I hit good forehands, I went to the net a lot of times, but that's important on my game. It's something that we are trying to do more often. I think I'm returning better than especially the last part of the season, 2011, no? So that's important, because the beginning of the points a lot of times are the key, no? So, in general, I hit good returns, aggressive ones, good backhands. I think I played a complete match. I will see. Tomorrow will be a difficult one. Q. This is always an important tournament, but because you had such a short preparation, does it make this tournament even more important for you to get the practice? RAFAEL NADAL: What is really important is to have hours on court, to spend hours on court. Yesterday was, I said, a very positive match for that reason. Today is another positive match, especially because tomorrow I will have another day. So I already will have three matches on my shoulders plus two of Abu Dhabi, so especially these three that's official ones, that's helped me a lot, so very happy for that. Try to have a good match tomorrow and try to win and have another match. We'll see. Q. It's pretty cold and windy outside. So did it have an impact on the way you are playing today, especially the way you were returning the balls? RAFAEL NADAL: Oh, the conditions weren't easy, but for us, you know, we are playing a lot of times with hard conditions of wind, no? So, for me, is nothing new. Just try to be focused on the ball, move until the last moment, and that's all. Nobody likes to play like this. Q. Obviously he was a much lower‑ranked opponent, but he seemed to give you a good game, especially‑‑ you had a lot of break‑point opportunities that he was able to come to defend. It seemed like the scoreline made it look a lot easier than it was out there. It seemed like he put up a good challenge at that point, so what can you say? RAFAEL NADAL: No one match is easy, no? All the matches have difficult moments, but I don't know how many break points I had during all the match. I had a lot. He only had maybe one with 3‑0 of the second set. You know, sometimes you play tough matches and the scores are easy. I'm not agree today. I think the match was hard because all the matches are really hard. No one opponent is easy, and he has very good potential, fantastic shots. He had problem with the stomach last year, so very happy to see him back on the tour. That's fantastic news for him and for the tour, too. So today I think I played a good match, and the score is there because I played well; not because we had an easier score than what the match says, my opinion. Q. Your last season was pretty good, but you never really found the quality of serve you had at the end of 2010, especially at the US Open. Do you agree with that? Do you have an explanation? RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, is true. My serve worked really well at the US Open, especially, so let's say US Open and maybe Tokyo and Bangkok, yes. These three tournaments worked fantastic. Later, not that good. So let's just say that's not the normal thing. Normal thing is have a worse serve than what I had in the US Open and Bangkok and Tokyo. That's the true, no? Sometimes you get the inspiration. I felt that I needed the serve to win the US Open, so the inspiration was there. The emotions was there and I had the feeling that weeks, no? You know, most of the time in my career I won all the things without that serve, so is something important, for sure. Is fantastic if you have the chance to serve like I did during all the US Open 2010, but seriously, I think having a good serve, comfortable serve. I cannot say can be enough but can work well. Sometimes if you are not playing very, very well and I try to serve that fast, you know, my game lose a little bit the control, because, you know, I serve fast but the ball returns faster, too. So I have to be with big confidence. I have to be playing very well to try to do that, because if not, is really dangerous for my game because I need to have the control of the point with the forehand, with the backhand. I need to try to, you know, to make the game with my rhythm. Serving like this, sometimes the game lose my rhythm. The game goes faster than what I really need. That's why sometimes I'm trying to serve a little bit lower, slower, a little bit more with change of directions, because adapts better to my game. I don't know if I explain exactly in English, but more or less. Q. In terms of in between the end of the season, in a couple of interviews you talked about feeling your game was too predictable in 2010 sometimes. RAFAEL NADAL: 2011. Q. 2011, sorry. RAFAEL NADAL: 2010 was nothing predictable. Q. Of course. Sorry about that. 2011. I mean, have you made some changes to kind of mix it up and are you starting to try some things on the court that are working well so far? RAFAEL NADAL: To try to make changes, you have to practice. I didn't. That's the true. I didn't practice. I'm trying to play aggressive, I'm trying to return a little bit better, because for me the worst thing that I did in the most of the part of last year was the return, especially the second half of the year. My return was worse than usual, no? So happy about how my return work two days here and happy how a few things worked well with the new weight of the racquet, starting to have good feelings, so that's really important. In general, most important thing is have enough good shots to not be predictable, because you can play not predictable, but if you are not hitting the ball with the right speed as long as you want, at the end you can change directions but you are going to be predictable, anyway. So you need to change directions, yes. You have to be a little bit more inpredictable, yes, but the only way to do that is take the ball faster and hit the ball, you know, with a little bit more power, with a little bit more speed. Q. You came on court with a suitcase on wheels. Was it for protecting the shoulder? What was it? Is it new? RAFAEL NADAL: You want the true? Q. Yeah, please. RAFAEL NADAL: (Smiling.) Seriously, I forgot my bag at home. Q. At the hotel? RAFAEL NADAL: At the hotel, no. I went on court yesterday ‑‑Majorca, the Hotel of Majorca, at home (smiling.) So that's the bag that I bring all the, you know, computer, Play Station, everything there, all the cables, and I pulled out everything and I put the clothes there. Another thing that's true, my pain in the shoulder is really on the top, so when I put something here is bothering me a lot. But that's not the reason, but that's the true. I cannot, for example, when I am having the bag on the shoulder, I cannot put one and one and put the racquet back like this, because that's bothering me a lot. So anyway, even if I want to have the normal bag like I used today, I will do it. Just to go on court for 50 meters, that not gonna happen, nothing, but, no, that's the new style. Do you like, by the way (smiling)? FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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