Rafael Nadal Interview
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
French Open
Q. In your opinion, what is the most important quality to win Roland Garros clay court, like physical, mental, footwork, that sort of thing? What do you think?
RAFAEL NADAL: Play good, (laughter.) I think, well, if you're not playing well, you can't be at 200% physically, 200% mentally, you're never going to win.
If you are playing well, after you have to get very good performance physically. You have to be prepared mentally. First thing I think is to have good potential.
Q. I know it's early still, but I'd like to ask you, for the Serbian media, what do you feel this year Djokovic is more serious? Last year you said he has still a way to go, and this year what do you think?
RAFAEL NADAL: From here?
Q. Yes.
RAFAEL NADAL: I hope not.
Q. Is he more serious this year?
RAFAEL NADAL: More serious? More than last year? He was playing in the semifinals. I don't think so. Maybe he right now has more titles. He's No. 1 on the race. He has more experience. But last year he played semifinals here, semifinal in Wimbledon, final in US Open. So difficult to be more serious, no?
Q. Last year you said he still...
RAFAEL NADAL: I say it always. He's a very good player, so he has the potential for do anything: win here, win Wimbledon, every place. So after, you never know.
Q. This is a good match to play against a guy who plays like this guy played today?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, it was tough, no? The conditions are very, very bad conditions today. The winds are terrible in the center court. Well, probably the two days waiting for the rain.
I was playing very well, practicing very well. But, you know, in two days I only practiced 20 minutes, no? Difficult to go to the court and have a good rhythm. And, you know, first match always you are nervous.
But most important thing is win. I won, so... and I won especially against a good player. He's going to be a good player.
Q. What can you say about Tomaz Belucci?
RAFAEL NADAL: I say he's going to be a good player, no? He won the last ‑‑ from the last 22 matches he won 20, so he's a good player. So just happy because I beat against a difficult opponent, no?
Q. Do you know your next opponent?
RAFAEL NADAL: I play against Devilder, no? I saw him sometimes play. Well, he's lefty too, so going to be tough. Always is difficult, no?
I have to play well for beat against everybody. Just hopefully play better tomorrow than today, and you just never know.
I'm confident if I'm playing well I have a chance.
THE MODERATOR: Spanish questions, please.
Q. So this was an opponent you had never met before. Conditions were difficult on the court with a lot of wind, so it was probably more complex than it seems just watching the result.
RAFAEL NADAL: Yes, it was. Then I started with a break, and I started ‑‑ I was a bit nervous, but not all that nervous. I had to wait for two days in the locker room.
You know, when you wait for your first round, it's not the fourth round where they can cancel it at 3:00 in the afternoon. The cancellation came at 8:00 in the evening, so I had to wait the entire day doing almost nothing.
These were two difficult days, because as time goes by you get more nervous and you can't practice, so probably lost the rhythm I had acquired before this tournament. But I hope this won't be a problem for the rest of the tournament for me to play well.
Then I was a bit nervous. Today was a difficult day on the center court, because the surface was more rapid than clay usually is.
Q. I wanted to ask you questions about these two days, because players are always worried about their first round and the weather issues.
RAFAEL NADAL: Yes, it's always a bit worrying, I mean, going through the first round. But this year I was coming from Hamburg. I played well in Hamburg, and just ‑‑ for the other years I probably didn't have much time to practice.
This year I had time to practice, but the weather conditions here at the beginning of this week made it impossible for me to practice more. It was a bit difficult, but I also played against a very good opponent.
So all this made it a bit complex for me, and then at 5‑5 it was a bit complex. I managed to win 7‑5.
Q. What do you think about Tomaz Belucci game? What is his strongest shots, his weakest shots?
RAFAEL NADAL: This is a player with great potential. He could be in amongst the top players. He has a very good serve, very good forehand, very good backhand, which is very important.
Maybe he wants to improve a bit with regards to mobility and placement, but for the rest he has a great potential to be a great player.
Q. This delay for your first round, it means that you have to play again tomorrow. Is it a concern for you, having to play matches one after the other every day?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, of course I would have preferred it if the schedule had been maintained. I don't think it's quite natural that Robredo, Coria, all these guys who were to play their second match on Tuesday will play before me.
That doesn't make sense, because when they canceled the matches they said they would play before me. So for me, the only thing important would have been their matches to be rescheduled before my second round. But this is not logical. I think it's not a good thing.
My opponent had two days of rest, knowing that ‑‑ because they knew about the weather forecast. Of course they know. But yet, I don't think it was intentional.
Q. The Olympic Games are going to be a challenge for you, because these are the first Olympic Games you're going to take part in.
RAFAEL NADAL: No, second. But quite normally you don't remember that (laughter.)
Q. Mathieu won, but he's not here today because he is very low in the ranking. We're trying to get an invitation for him. I spoke to Fish. He won the silver medal, and I asked him what he thought about it. He said, Well, we're opening the door to somebody who should have done something great four years ago, and who's not doing anything now. So you think players going to the Olympic Games shouldn't go or should they be invited?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, it all depends on the decision of the Olympic committee, all this. I mean, some players won in doubles, so I think the most logical thing was to allow these players to take part.
Q. People said that the balls are different here as compared to other tournaments, and that this was a bit difficult for them to adapt at the beginning. Was it difficult for you to adapt to a different type of ball?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, no problem. Had the weather been better yesterday or the other day ‑‑ I mean, when I practiced the balls were perfectly all right. It wasn't a problem to me.
I also played in Barcelona, so it's not totally new. They're different from the Masters Series, but I already played with these balls in Barcelona. Now, when you arrive from Monte‑Carlo and you have to adapt to new balls, it took me a day to adapt because of a different rebound. But I had four days to adapt here.
Q. You played two games yesterday. Was it worth it? Was it worth it for you to get to know your opponent?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, to start, I started with a break down. That was not all that comfortable for me, but then yesterday I went on the court, played two games. Nothing to say, really.
Q. Yesterday I was wondering whether you would not come on the court, because the match was scheduled so late.
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, you know what? I am not the one to decide here.
Q. Between playing with light balls or heavy balls, do you get used to the type of balls you're playing with immediately, because the conditions, weather conditions have changed?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, 100% I like it better when it's sunny. The ball is faster, and when the court is wet, humid, balls don't bounce that well. It's true that I prefer it when balls are faster.
Q. Are you saying that the organization here is not respecting your schedule in this tournament?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. This is not what I said. Definitely not. All I'm saying is that there are things which are not logical, which are not rational. I'm not complaining. I'm not complaining. I'm just mentioning the situation which is reality for me, and it's ‑‑ and I'm not making any other comment here.
I'm just explaining things whether they're logical or not.
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