TENNIS Internazionali BNL d’Italia – R. Nadal d. M. Youzhny 6-7, 6-2, 6-1. An interview with Rafael Nadal.
Q: We are not used to see you fight a lot…
RAFAEL NADAL: Get used…(laugh). With the years everybody suffers, it’s part of a career and life. And it’s normal in tennis. Honestly I was not suffering a lot when I was serving for the set, but before it has been a very tough match. Today it was a big mistake because after a long match like yesterday you don’t want to be on court, but that is what it happened. But at the end the most important thing is the that I had the right reaction at the right time.
Q: How much is important this match for your confidence?
RAFAEL NADAL: You have to find positive things. That’s right, I played with passion and motivation even if the feeling was not perfect. That’s always a very good news, because when you have a lot of opportunities during the match you keep fighting trying to find solutions that always means that you really want to do it, you really want to win and it’s a positive thing even if today the conditions was impossible.
Q:How do you see the match against Andy?
RAFAEL NADAL: It will be a tough match and I need to play much better. I am confident. I have to go on court with the right mentality, I have to be aggressive, and doing the right things if I want to have chances to win, a little more control, a little more spin. We’ll see. It’s a positive match to play because you play against one of the best player of the world after two tough days. If I am going to play well I’ll have my chances, if not I am going to spend the weekend in Mallorca.
Q:It’s 3 years since you play Andy last…
RAFAEL NADAL: It’s unusual, we both have been top player for the last couple of year and it’s normal to have a lot of confrontation. It will be a positive match. He’s a very good guy, I admire him a lot like a player and I am happy to see him back on the tour even if as a rival he’s one of the toughest. It’s good to have good people around. I don’t know how he has changed his play, I know he has a complete game but I have to focus on myself.
Q:Is it more suffering now than when you were younger?
RAFAEL NADAL: Depends on the match. If I win 63, 62 I am not suffering a lot. If I win in 3 hours yesterday and in 2 hours and something today always I am suffering more. physically I am feeling good, I am able to run again, I had tough match yesterday and today and that’s positive.
Q: Thing on the clay for you have changed a lot during the years. We were used to see you win easily…it depends more on you or your opponents raise the level of their game?
RAFAEL NADAL: I am older, I am 28, and at this age Borg was doing something else. It’s impossible to win for 10 years with easy result, but at the same time I think I can do better than how I am doing now.
