Rafael Nadal: “Important thing is go on court, try your best every day, and try to improve a little bit in every practice day and every match day” - UBITENNIS
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Rafael Nadal: “Important thing is go on court, try your best every day, and try to improve a little bit in every practice day and every match day”

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10 years ago

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TENNIS 2014 ROLAND GARROS – 26th of May 2014. R. Nadal d. R. Ginepri 6-0, 6-3, 6-0. An interview with Rafael Nadal

Q. How does it feel to get the first one over with, Rafa?

RAFAEL NADAL: Good. I think I played after the first game that was not good, I played a solid first set. I start first six games of the second I didn’t play well, and he had a terrible game with the 3 All, a lot of mistakes. After that I think I started to play a little bit better again.

So in the third I finished the match playing not that good, so it was a solid start, happy for that.

 

Q. Last year the first couple of rounds for you were a bit tricky. Are you feeling kind of relieved or confident this time your first round was not like…

RAFAEL NADAL: I don’t know. Doesn’t matter, no? In the end it’s day by day not, it’s difficult to compare years, difficult to compare opponents.

Important thing is go on court, try your best every day, and try to improve a little bit in every practice day and every match day, and that’s what they did a lot of times during this tournament. That’s why I had that success, and I gonna try to do it this year.

I think I started a little bit better than last year, but still last year I arrived with a lot of victories on my shoulders, this year with a little bit less.

We’ll see. Important thing is that I am in second round. I won the first one. I have two days for practice, to keep doing the right things and to arrive on the second round hopefully ready to play well.

 

Q. This is not strictly related to Roland Garros, but how would you describe your relationship with your racquet?

RAFAEL NADAL: I know my racquet since a long time (smiling). No, that’s the best thing that I can say about my racquet is for some reason I am playing with this one.

It’s because I feel the racquet give me what I need for my game and is long, long time ago that I am playing with Babolat, since the age of 10 or 11, I don’t remember. Always Babolat did the best possible for me, trying to help me in what I really need.

I think is great to be part of a great company of Babolat and a great company in the world of tennis. I have a great relationship with them, and that makes the things a little bit easier.

 

Q. Some people were a bit surprised that you were scheduled on Suzanne Lenglen today. I was wondering if it made any difference to you. Were you expecting to play on Chatrier, or you didn’t really care?

RAFAEL NADAL: Doesn’t really matter a lot. Always playing Roland Garros is a pleasure for me, is a really honor, and is a special feeling. So all the memories at this place give me are unforgettable.

And doesn’t matter if it’s Chatrier or Lenglen or another court, be around here in Roland Garros always gonna be great. And I started in Lenglen this year, is a great court.

I am not sure, but probably next one I gonna play in Chatrier. That’s it.

 

Q. Can you tell us the whole process in Madrid, in Rome? Your confidence came back. You’re more competitive. Is it because you played quite a lot?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, Madrid is a Masters 1000, and I didn’t play that much until the final. I lost no set. I think I never played any long match until the final, so this is a tournament during which I didn’t spend that much time on the court.

But after Madrid and mostly after the two first rounds in Rome, which were very difficult with very difficult conditions, with a lot of wind, very cold, I think I started being what I used to be in the past and playing the way I used to play in the past.

My game was back, much better than during my first tournaments on clay. Had it been possible, had I been in a position to use my shots in Madrid or in Rome or in Barcelona, the process would have been far less complex for me.

And maybe I would come here with slightly more confidence. But I think the beginning of the season on clay was positive.

And with regards to my feelings here with regards to what other people tell me when they see me, watching, I think I’m fit, but you want to come to Paris having played well in the other tournaments.

 

Q. Coming back to Madrid, you said that Berdych was hitting his balls very high and that you had difficulties returning and you also complained about the sun, the lack of sun, about the cold.

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, it’s true. The sun, either you have too much of it or not enough of it. But when it’s very hot and there is not much wind, the court is much faster. That helps me quite a lot.

I’m not trying to find any excuses. That’s tennis. We want to talk about tennis. We are here because we love tennis. And when the ball does not go as far as I want it to go, I’m the only one to blame. Maybe it’s because at one stage I was not running fast enough or maybe I was not strong enough on my legs. Had I run faster, I would have had more time to position myself, to position my arm, and return better.

Of course I have ups and downs, just like any player, and we all have in this sport. But I also managed to play very good games in Rome. The matches were very difficult, but the conditions were nightmarish, really. It was very difficult to play in these conditions.

But after that, I think I played very well when I played Murray. There was less wind. The weather was slightly warmer. Against Dimitrov it was at night with wind. Not as cold as during my match against Simon, but I managed to return deeper. I was calmer. I could position myself much better on the court.

And when the ball arrived, I could return it not taking too many risks. I did that and I felt I could not attack, I managed to play safely and create some difficulties for my opponent.

It’s always very difficult to win against him, but I think I played well. Today it’s true that the court was very heavy. The balls were very heavy, very wet.

I had a question, why don’t they dry the court before we start playing? The court is soaked with water. Why don’t they do anything?

Well, anyway, there are moments when I played better today. Others when my let game was not all that good, when I couldn’t run as much as I should have. But that’s the way it is.

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Wrist Injury Threatening To End Holger Rune’s Olympic Dream

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5 days ago

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21/07/2024

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Holger Rune will have a second medical opinion on Monday before deciding if he is fit enough to play at the Olympic Games, according to his team. 

The Danish world No.17 recently retired from his quarter-final match at the Hamburg Open due to a knee injury. The hope at the time was that his withdrawal would be just a precautionary measure ahead of the Olympics. However, he is also dealing with a second issue that appears to be more serious.

According to TV 2 Sport, Rune has been struggling with a wrist issue and underwent a scan on Sunday which his mother Aneke says ‘doesn’t look promising.’ Aneke is also the manager of her son’s career. Rune’s Olympic dreams now rest on the outcome of a second medical expert that he will visit tomorrow who has a better understanding of the sport. 

“Unfortunately, it does not look promising after the first medical opinion after the review of the scan of the wrist,” Aneke Rune told TV 2 Sport.

“We are waiting for two tennis-specific doctors who will give a second opinion tomorrow (Monday). Tennis wrists look different from regular wrists, so we’ll hold out hope for one more day.” 

Rune is one of three Danish players entered into the Olympic tennis event along with Caroline Wozniacki and Clara Tauson. The country has only won one medal in tennis before which was at the 1912 Games when Sofie Castenschiold won silver in the women’s indoor singles event. 

So far this season, the 21-year-old has won 27 matches on the Tour but is yet to claim a title. He reached the final of the Brisbane International and then the semi-finals of three more events. In the Grand Slams, he made it to the fourth round of the French Open and Wimbledon. 

It is not known when a final decision regarding Rune’s participation in Paris will be made.

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Hubert Hurkacz Undergoes ‘Knee Procedure’ Ahead of Olympic Bid

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1 week ago

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17/07/2024

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Poland’s top player on the ATP Tour is not giving up on his dream of winning a medal at the Olympic Games despite recently undergoing a medical procedure.

World No.7 Hubert Hurkacz suffered a knee injury during his second round clash at Wimbledon against France’s Arthur Fils. In the fourth set tiebreak of their clash, Hurkacz dived for a shot but landed badly on his knee and required on-court medical attention. He then played two more points before retiring from the match. 

In a social media post published on Wednesday, the  27-year-old confirmed he underwent a procedure on his knee earlier this week but didn’t provide any further details.  Although Hurkacz has stated his intention to play at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, where the tennis event will be held on the clay at Roland Garros. 

“I had a knee procedure this Monday, but I’m feeling better already and my team and are dedicating extensive time each day to the rehab process.” He wrote on Instagram. 

“It’s a dream for every athlete to represent their country at the Olympics, and I want to make sure I am fully fit and ready before making the final decision to step on court. The aim is not only to participate, but to win a medal for my country.”

So far this season Hurkacz has won 34 out of 48 matches played on the Tour. He won the Estoril Open in April and was runner-up to Jannik Sinner in Halle. 

The Olympic tennis event is scheduled to begin a week Saturday on July 27th. Poland is yet to win a medal in the event but expectations are high with women’s No.1 Iga Swiatek also taking part. 

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Motivation, Pressure And Expectations – Novak Djokovic Targets History At Wimbledon

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2 weeks ago

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13/07/2024

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image via x.com/wimbledon

Novak Djokovic has broken numerous records throughout his career but he still feels the pressure of trying to make history in the sport. 

The world No.2 is through to his 10th Wimbledon final where he will play Carlos Alcaraz, who beat him at this stage of the tournament 12 months ago. There is plenty on the line for the Serbian who could equal Roger Federer’s record for most men’s titles won at SW19 and break the overall record for most major singles won in the sport if he triumphs over the Spaniard. Djokovic currently has 24 Grand Slam trophies to his name which is the same as Margaret Court, who won some of her titles before the Open Era started. 

“Obviously I’m aware that Roger [Federer] holds eight Wimbledons. I hold seven. History is on the line.” Djokovic said on Friday after beating Lorenzo Musetti.

“Also, the 25th potential Grand Slam. Of course, it serves as a great motivation, but at the same time it’s also a lot of pressure and expectations.”

Coming into Wimbledon, there had been doubts over Djokovic’s form after he underwent surgery to treat a knee injury he suffered at the French Open. However, he has defied the odds to reach the final. His run has also seen him beat Alexi Popyrin and Holger Rune before getting a walkover in the quarter-finals from Alex de Minaur, who sustained an injury during the tournament. Then on Friday, he overcame a spirited Musetti in three sets. 

Despite the challenge, Djokovic has insisted that his expectations to do well are always high no matter what the situation is. During what has been a roller-coaster first six months of the season, he is yet to win a title this year or beat a player currently ranked in the top 10. Although he will achieve both of these if her beats Alcaraz on Sunday. 

“Every time I step out on the court now, even though I’m 37 and competing with the 21-year-olds, I still expect myself to win most of the matches, and people expect me to win, whatever, 99% of the matches that I play.” He said.

“I always have to come out on the court and perform my best in order to still be at the level with Carlos [Alcaraz] or Jannik [Sinner] or Sascha [Zverev] or any of those guys, Daniil [Medvedev]. 

“This year hasn’t been that successful for me. It’s probably the weakest results the first six months I’ve had in many years. That’s okay. I had to adapt and accept that and really try to find also way out from the injury that I had and kind of regroup.”

Djokovic hopes that a Wimbledon win will help turn his season around like it has done in the past for him. 

“Wimbledon historically there’s been seasons where I wasn’t maybe playing at a desired level, but then I would win a Wimbledon title and then things would change.” He commented.

“For example, that was the case in 2018 when I had elbow surgery earlier in the year, dropped my rankings out of top 20, losing in fourth round of Australian Open, I think it was quarters of Roland-Garros, and just not playing the tennis that I want to play. Then I won Wimbledon and then won US Open and then later on became No.1 very soon.”

Meanwhile, 21-year-old Alcaraz is hoping to stop Djokovic in his tracks. Should he defend his title at Wimbledon, he would become the first player outside the Big Three to do so since Pete Sampras more than 20 years ago. He has won their only previous meeting on the grass but trails their head-to-head 3-2. 

“I’m sure he knows what he has to do to beat me,” said Alcaraz.

“But I’m ready to take that challenge and I’m ready to do it well.”

When the two players take to the court to play in the Wimbledon final, Djokovic will be 15 years and 348 days older than Alcaraz. Making it the largest age gap in a men’s Grand Slam final since the 1974 US Open. Whoever is victorious will receive £2,700,000 in prize money. 

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