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ROLAND GARROSJune 2, 2014Rafael NadalPARIS, FRANCE R. NADAL/D. Lajovic THE MODERATOR: Questions in English. Q. Obviously in a Grand Slam championship that goes on for so long, it's important to conserve as much energy as you can. How pleased were you with the way you played today and the fact it was a relatively short match? RAFAEL NADAL: Well, thank you. Yes, it was a positive match for me, obviously. I think I played a great first set. In my opinion, he didn't play bad in the first set. He played a good set, too. I played with no mistakes and having the control with the backhand, with the forehand from the baseline. Happy with the way that I played. Sure, you never know what's better, but in theory, the theory says that it's better win like this than win longer matches. But you never know what's the best thing for what's going on, no? That's all. Happy to be in quarterfinal. Is a positive result for me. Yeah, gonna be tough match next one. Q. What do you think about the abdication of the king of Spain? RAFAEL NADAL: If I am allowed, I will answer in Spanish. If for you is okay, I will answer in Spanish. Q. Okay. RAFAEL NADAL: (Through translation.) Okay, well, we were very surprised with this announcement that the king was abdicating in Spain. The only thing I can do is to thank his majesty, the king, for everything he did all along these years. He was a wonderful person, a great representative of our country everywhere in the world, and Spain should thank him for everything he did during his reign. I just want to thank him for everything he did for my country. More personally speaking, I had the great opportunity of meeting him on quite a few occasions. On a personal note, he was always very nice to me, very warm. He made me feel very comfortable each time we met. So I feel honored. I had the opportunity of meeting him, and I wish him the best for the future, for whatever he decides to do for the future. I think you can't ask more for a person who has done so much for us. Q. (In English) Are you still aware of these moments and what you are doing in all these moments? When did you develop that routine? RAFAEL NADAL: I don't want to talk about that. You know what I am doing. I know what I am doing. Is no secret on that. Everybody saw. That's all. It's not a reason to talk or to explain or talk about. Is something that I am doing already for a long time. Is something that ‑‑ stupid thing that you are doing when you playing in a lot of matches in a row doing during a lot of years. The long seasons probably produce you routines that help you to be focused on what you are doing. That's it. Q. You don't remember when it started? When you were a kid or a junior? RAFAEL NADAL: Matters that, or not (smiling)? Q. I was just wondering. RAFAEL NADAL: For me doesn't matter, and I cannot say. Some things that when I was younger, sometimes some things later. Some things I was doing I am not doing anymore. That's it. Always is an evolution. Q. You play David Ferrer next. I was wondering if mentally it is different when you play him here when you have lost to him recently on clay? Is it easy for you to forget about the past and just approach the match? RAFAEL NADAL: No. When you lost, you lost. That's it. Normally when I am coming here, I'm not lying nobody. Always when you have a loss in the last confrontation, that can affect. Or not. I don't know. I will tell you after tomorrow. But at the at the end, important thing for me is I am in quarterfinals here. I am happy the way that I arrived here. I think that I am a little bit better than when I was playing against him in Monte‑Carlo, but I think he's playing great, too. He played three weeks in a row very high level. In Madrid he played great, in Rome he played great, and he's playing great here. He's coming to the match with confidence and with confidence that he gave me the last time, so is extra thing for me. It will be a tough one. I know to play against him and to have chances to win I need to play very well. That's what I gonna try. If not, will be impossible. Q. These kind of matches where you are, let's say, not in danger at all, is it still fun for you to play or is it more work? RAFAEL NADAL: Sorry? Q. Is it more work for you to play these kind of matches? RAFAEL NADAL: Which kind of matches? Q. Where you're really not in danger. RAFAEL NADAL: Like today? Q. Yes. RAFAEL NADAL: No, I never consider the tennis my work. When I am playing tough matches, when I am playing matches that you are under control. But always when you are under control you are under control for moments, you know. Then if you think you are under control, probably you will not be under control anymore during the match. So I think probably is difficult for you to understand that. But like a player, you always feel in danger because you are here. You are in fourth round of Grand Slam. You play against a player that is there for something, too. So you are always scared that you cannot lose your concentration in no one moment. But never thinking this game like a job. Thinking like is something that I am very lucky to be here and having the chance to practice tennis and to live in the world of tennis, something that have really practiced a lot since I was a kid. So I feel very lucky to achieve what I did as a kid. That is be here. Q. In the last match you mentioned when you were serving you weren't serving at 100% because you may have felt something with the back. I'm just wondering whether you are 100% now and there is no back problem. RAFAEL NADAL: No. I say the other day. You were here in the other press conference? I say I don't really want to talk much about that. I say I try to don't to nobody when I am here, but another thing is talk too much. I don't want to talk too much about this thing today. I have important match to come. Today I won a match in good shape. We'll see what's going on in the future. Q. You mentioned it's hard to tell whether it's good that you have been going through in straight sets or whether a test is a better thing for you. How have you thought in the past? Do you feel like having a match that maybe tests you a little more has helped? Too hard to tell? RAFAEL NADAL: As I said before, I really don't know. Sometimes helps; sometimes don't help, you know. Sometimes having tough matches and feel that you are not playing well created some doubts. Sometimes when you pass tough situations before in the tournament can help you for later. It depends. Every year is different. Every situation is completely different. Is difficult to understand what's better. But always say the same: I prefer to win in three sets than win four and five. Then we will see what's better. But theory, for me, if you are winning a little bit easier for sure is better thing. Q. When you're here at Roland Garros, how much do you think about the past and your past performances and victories here? Or is it better to be in the moment, in the present? What do you find the balance to be? RAFAEL NADAL: The past is past. You can think about the past in a few years when I will be in Mallorca fishing or playing golf. Today the past is not helping me to win no one point. That's it. The sport is the present, and I'm thinking about what's going on today, what's going on tomorrow, my practice, and day after tomorrow in my match. Then hopefully after my career I will have chances to think about all the things that happened in the past. Today, when I'm coming back here to Roland Garros always is a special feeling, special memories when you are here. But when the tournament start, you are ready for the action and the competition, and you want to be ready for give you another chance to be competitive. The past don't help you on that. Only thing that helps you is practice every day, the motivation to keep doing things the right way. That's it. All what happened here in the last nine years is something very special for me. Q. To meet the king or to meet the leader of your country is a very special thing. Could you follow up on your very nice statement about the king? Just talk about a particular incident or a particular gesture, something special, something he said to you that you recall which is special. RAFAEL NADAL: Can I answer in Spanish? You have a translation? (From translation.) As I said before in my previous answer, I don't think I can share with you any personal anecdotes, because these are personal anecdotes, and with someone like the king of Spain. But when I get a message from the king when I play a tournament, it's a huge pleasure for me feeling supported by the leader of our country, and as I said before, a king who was so much admired everywhere in the world. Well, it was an honor for me to share some moments with him, to have an opportunity to talk to him, and I hope this will continue to be the case, even if he's no longer the king as of today. But to me, he was somebody I really liked. He was very close to me. Over the last few years our relationship's developed, and I always wanted to thank him for the kindness he showed. THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish. Q. You won the match not losing any set in the entire tournament. Would you say that this is the top of your season? Do you think you're in a position to win the tournament? RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. I don't know. I can't give you an answer on that because I have no idea. I think the matches I won, well, I won them because I did what I had to do and because I played at a good level. I did what I had to do. Then things get more complicated as you move up, and you need to step up your level to be able to face opponents like David. You know, when a player gets to the quarterfinal, it means that they are at a very high level. And if I can beat him, I will have other opportunities. But I can't say more. Q. With your game level at the moment, would you say that's your best level so far in this season? RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. I'm telling you, I don't know. All I know is that the clay season has seen me progressing this year, and I think each tournament is an opportunity for me to improve my tennis. That's a reality. Now, how far can I go? I don't know. We'll see. We'll see tomorrow. Q. Can you tell us about your back? RAFAEL NADAL: I told you the other day I felt some pain in my back. My back can be pretty unpredictable. In Australia I felt some pain, and here in Paris I try to co‑exist with this pain. But sometimes it changes. I'm not lying. It's totally unpredictable. I don't want to speak too much about it anyway. I have very tough opponents I need to play, and we need to talk about tennis. I just played a match I won 6‑1, 6‑2, 6‑1, and I want to respect my opponent. Let's talk about the match then. Q. Since the last match you played, your serve is faster‑ 8 kilometers per hour faster. Did you sort of program this? RAFAEL NADAL: I'm not a machine. No, I play with the conditions on the court. I play with my feelings on the court. Since the third round I started serving a bit better, a bit faster, and my serve was a bit more fluid. And to continue having these feelings, I need to repeat the same gesture, especially against David, because he returns in a very tough way. So I don't want to waste the advantage I have with my serve. Q. Can you tell us about Mr.Lee, this Korean you practiced with, and what your feelings were when you practiced with him? RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I met with him in Seoul, in Korea. That was eight months ago before we left for Shanghai. He has a fascinating story. He is a hard‑working person with an impressive story. Because what we have here, the efforts we make, are very small efforts as compared to his. We, as tennis players, all know the importance of playing with the sounds, the sound of the ball, to experience some feelings on the court. But imagine you're playing on a court where there is very loud music and you can't hear the sounds of the ball. Well, this guy is capable of playing without hearing of the sound of the ball bouncing on the court, for instance. It's huge. Q. (In Catalan.) RAFAEL NADAL: (In Catalan.) Q.I'd like to ask you a few questions about the Prince. I think you know him well. Would you say a few words about him? RAFAEL NADAL: Well, from a personal perspective, according to what the prime minister just said, I think we need to go through a legal procedure for Prince Felipe to become the king. I think this will be a good successor to our king, our supreme leader for so many years. He would be the perfect person because he's very close to the people. He's been preparing to become the king for quite a long time. I do believe that he will be a very good king. I think he is a wonderful example as a king. Q. During the coin flip for the match against David, will you choose to return? RAFAEL NADAL: Well, he prefers to serve. Q. But apparently on this tournament he prefers to return. What would you say about it? What's the level of stress when you realize that every single point is important, that each ball is going to matter? RAFAEL NADAL: I'm not going to say it's going to be ad additional stress. In any case, I need to make sure I'm going to win my serve. But I don't think this is going to have a great impact on the match. I mean, starting serving or returning, I don't think it will have a major impact. It's not an additional stress. Q. (Off microphone.) RAFAEL NADAL: Yes, I can choose to return. I like the feeling I have from the baseline, and there are many reasons for which I would choose to return. Amongst these reasons, and if you want me to talk about history, I started ‑‑sometimes I start serving and I surprise my opponent. But my serve is not that of Karlovic. So that would be the main reason. When you have a great serve and if you can break your opponent very quickly, that's good. But if he decides to return, then you have to serve first. But if I'm the one in position to choose, then I prefer to return. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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