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ROLAND GARROSMay 31, 2014Rafael NadalPARIS, FRANCE R. NADAL/L. Mayer THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please. Q. How would you sum up your first week at Roland Garros? RAFAEL NADAL: Well, it was a positive one. I have three matches that I think I played under control. That's always positive and good. Always the second week is a great news, and winning in straight sets is a little bit better. Happy for that. Q. It seems at some point after the first set you served a little bit slower than usual, especially on second serve. Is there any special reason for it? RAFAEL NADAL: Yes, I felt a little bit my back, so that's why I slow down a little bit the serve. That's it. Q. Just on this match or since the start of the tournament? RAFAEL NADAL: I felt a little bit from the beginning. In the second match I was not serving that fast, too. Q. What do you know about Dusan Lajovic? RAFAEL NADAL: Well, he's young. He's a good player. I saw him play a few times on TV. Sure, it's great to have new players on tour, young players on the tour that are coming strong. Hopefully not too strong (smiling). We'll see. We'll see on Monday. I hope to be ready for that. Q. Considering the people that you might have played in the first week here, I suppose you're a little bit surprised by who you ended up playing. In your section you had Almagro, Tommy Haas, and instead now you are playing Lajovic. I know you take it one match at a time, but I suppose it's a little bit surprising to you. RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, but these kind of things happen, especially in Grand Slams. Masters 1000 is most difficult to find draws that are open because it's impossible. Top 40‑something players are playing. In Grand Slams, 100 and few more ones are there, are inside. Everyone is competitive. Tennis, a lot of matches decides in a few balls, a few points. Can happen that the seed that can lose. I can lose, Almagro can lose, Tommy Haas can lose. Lajovic was the best one of that section, so he deserve to be there, so he will be the toughest opponent for me. Q. It was announced that Roger was stepping down from being the president of the ATP players council. Do you have any thought about it? RAFAEL NADAL: No, no. Q. You quit too, at some point. I was wondering if you... RAFAEL NADAL: I stopped a few years ago. Q. And now Roger. RAFAEL NADAL: No, probably he's tired, too, to do it. My idea, when I was there, was that probably having a few important players that knows a little bit about this sport. I don't mean because you are top player you know better than another ones. I'm not talking about that. But it's true that being a top player you have a little bit more information of everything on the tournaments, on the players, on the problems on the ATP, with the media, with everything. I went, I declined my position. I renounced my position a few years ago because I felt that I was not anymore important for that job. I felt that I didn't have enough power to be there. The idea that I had I communicate to other players, and other players were happy with that ideas. I try to translate these ideas to our board and never happened, not one of these ideas (smiling). So when that happened and they are our board, and I feel that our board were not fighting for the things we want. Because I was the representative of the players so the things that we want, most of the players wanted. So I felt that I was not ‑‑no reason to continue there. And I don't know the reason of Roger, but I understand had that having four kids already probably he has another priorities, and is 100% normal and he wants to do another thing. I understand that always when Roger is there is a positive thing for tennis, because he knows about tennis. He's a top player. In my opinion, the players who work smart on tour are top players because they spent more time on tournaments and they know more about everything. Is good that top players are there fighting for the things that they understand that are better for the rest of the players and better for the tour. Q. Can you say this summer what would be the big achievement in sporting terms? Real Madrid the 10th Champions League, you winning a ninth title here, or Spain retaining the World Cup for a fourth consecutive? How would you rank them? RAFAEL NADAL: The ranking? The ranking is only one. Real Madrid won the Champions League because other things didn't happen. Q. If they were to happen. RAFAEL NADAL: I don't think about ifs. I think about the things that already happened. Real Madrid made an amazing achievement winning the Champions League. Very happy for that. I think Real Madrid deserve. A lot of years fighting for that, and was an amazing thing arrive to the number 10. I am gonna fight to be in quarterfinals next round, and I'm sure Spain going to do the same to have an opportunity in Brazil. But we cannot talk about the things that gonna happen, because if that happens, I let you know (Laughter). Q. Your back injury, is it a concern? Is it something you're worried about? RAFAEL NADAL: No. I had the problem in Australia. It's real. That's the real thing. But hopefully not. Hopefully not. But, you know, during my career I had few problems, so always can happen things. Hopefully will not be this case. Q. I don't know if you had a chance to see any of the match between Monfils and Fognini after you got off court, but it was up and down and players going in and out of concentration a lot. You concentrate so much on every point. I wonder what you think when you see a player essentially give away a set to try to get back later. RAFAEL NADAL: It's a game that you can do whatever you want. You know, it's not only one way to play tennis. There are different ways to play tennis. All the respect for Monfils and for Fognini. They make a good show for the crowd. Long match; crowd involved; good for tennis. THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish. Q. Well, I don't really know what happened during the second set. Can you tell us more about the second set? And then you said you had a back pain or something. Was that a special problem that you had today? RAFAEL NADAL: Well, you know, I don't usually lie. As I said, my back was hurting a little, and this is what I said on day number one. During the second day, as well. So that's why I served more slowly since I started feeling the pain. And then during the second set, nothing really happened. I won 7‑5. I managed to break at the right moment when it was 5‑All. That's about it. Now that was the third round. The opponent wants to win as well. I'm not the only one who wants to win, and therefore the second set had perhaps less intensity. Q. I think you wanted a physio to come help you. Did you ask for that? RAFAEL NADAL: No, no. I asked for my racquets to be strung again, but, you know, I said, We can wait a minute. We don't need to do this immediately offhand. Q. Is your back aching? RAFAEL NADAL: Yes, I had a few strappings. Q. I have the impression that Pascal Maria is a judge who has problem in terms of time taken during the serves. There is a moment when you served more quickly. You didn't even take your towel. RAFAEL NADAL: Well, when Pascal is here I don't even take my towel; otherwise it's too long. So each referee or judge, well, they act their own way, you know, what they believe is the best thing to do. I don't see sport this way, but there are rules. There are rules that we have to comply with. It is strange, because we have a framework of rules, but with him I always have problems. Always there is more pressure than usual. I don't think it's logical, mainly when there is a break point, and if it was an important point. So making remarks at that moment. But anyway, I only have to listen to him and accept, and that's the way it is. I shouldn't lose my focus, and I have to continue and do my best. And then, you know, there are judges who know how to interpret rules better than others probably; whereas others will follow very strictly all the rules and they'll use the timer. They really are a timekeeper. I think the best thing would be to have a big clock with a countdown on the court, and then when there is no more seconds to go, we would have to serve. Now, if we have this, a countdown, we would know exactly how many seconds we have left. We would know what to do and when. But, again, I think that tennis is a sport where we should be able to think. This is really truly what I think. It's something global, you see. It's physical; it's mental; there are strategies. Otherwise, you know, it's just about keeping an eye on the clock. Then after the warning I frowned a little and then I continued, I accepted. Sometimes I think that this is fair, because it's true to say that I'm slow. I accept it. I admit the fact that at times I'm a bit slow. So these warnings are fair, right? But then today, no. But with this judge, always ‑‑ there is always one or two warnings with him, and this is the way it is. I have to accept it. Q. You have reached the second week. Mallorca is looking at you here. People are watching you here at Roland Garros. People are also watching TV, but then... (In Catalan.) RAFAEL NADAL: (In Catalan.) Q.I have a question to ask you. I wanted to know about the pain that you feel in your back. Is it the same pain that you had in Australia? And also, there is no more Argentinian players during the second week of Roland Garros. RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I'd rather not talk about my back. You know, I've reached week number two. I'll do my best. I'll play as best as I can. I'll put up a good fight to try and win. You know, my back is not that important. It's not that important, because I wouldn't really like to give you too many details. I am the way I am, and I'm happy to have reached this level. I won a three‑set match, which is important. As far as Argentinian tennis is concerned, well, of course there are players who have what it takes to reach the second week. But then of course it all depends on the circumstances. For instance, Pico Monaco is a player who has been injured. It was difficult for him to get the right rhythm, even though he was in great form at the beginning of the tournament. There is also Del Potro, and he's injured. And, well, you know, it's not a question of being skilled or not. It's a question of circumstances. Sometimes you don't have many players in the top 16 for some countries, for instance, for a Grand Slam. If there are some players representing one country who are injured, well, of course this is bound to happen. In Spain, you know, it's been 20 years when we have been quite successful, so it's a habit, I think. I hope it's going to continue. I hope that it will continue. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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