Rafael Nadal met with the media in Melbourne Park in the classical pre-tournament press conference where the top stars talk to the journalists previewing the tournament.
The Spaniard revealed he is happy looking back at last year reaching the quarter-finals, considering how he then struggled during the season to perform at the level he wanted. Rafa said he is finding the good feelings he need in practice in Australia, but most importantly he now has a lot of fun playing matches and he feels like he is competition for the title run in Melbourne.
Rafael was asked to talk about Novak Djokovic and had to admit that the Serb playing at the top of his level is someone very hard to face on a tennis court. Rafael admitted he is going to work hard to stay close to the level of the World No.1 waiting for his chance to come and step in the spotlight.
The surface in Melbourne Park was defined as “fast, but not too fast” by Nadal, who explained he feels good playing on those courts even if it is not his favourite surface.
Speaking of young guns and elder talent, Rafael revealed how he doesn’t think he will be playing until he is 34 like Roger Federer and thinks the young stars to watch for are Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios. Speaking of Kyrgios, Nadal even said the Aussie could already win a Slam.
Highlights of Nadal’s press conference in Melbourne:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heBLJVd80FQ