Rafael Nadal Interview after his
wins of the Men's Final at Wimbledon 2010 over Tomas
Berdych
Wimbledon 2010
By LadyDragon
WIMBLEDON, United
Kingdom --(LadyDragon.com)
04/07/10--Q. Pau Gasol wanted me to say hola to you.
Congratulations. Can you compare this to what he did,
back-to-back Lakers championships and your own as well,
two straight here at Wimbledon for you?
RAFAEL NADAL: Thanks a lot. Everything is difficult, and
very difficult compare, two different sports, no? But I
am in contact with him all the time. For sure to have
unbelievable sportsman like Pau inside the court, inside
the court and outside the court is very, very good for
our country.
Q. Is it even more special for you to come back and
win it a second time?
RAFAEL NADAL: Every one is really special, no? Is
difficult to say this one is more special. The other one
was more dramatic, the way to win. So first title is
always very, very special.
And for sure after not easy year for me. Be back on my
favorite tournament of the world here and play well
another time, and not only play well, so finish with the
trophy is amazing for me.
Just can say thank you very much all the organization,
all the crowd, because when I am on the court what they
make me feel is unbelievable.
Q. How does it feel to be so popular with the crowd
here at Wimbledon?
RAFAEL NADAL: You know, probably is the best crowd of the
world, no? More respect. They have a lot of respect for
every player, I think.
If I speak about myself, was always amazing with me, the
crowd, especially yesterday or two days ago when I played
against Andy Murray, a British player. For sure the crowd
support him, but the same time was supporting me a lot,
no? That's unbelievable. Just can say thank you very
much.
Q. Did you expect a different or tougher match from
him?
RAFAEL NADAL: I cannot say the same because I don't
expect nothing before the match. I expect play my best in
every point and try to fight every point like the last. I
don't think if I gonna have a very difficult match, I
gonna lose, I gonna win. I don't think about this.
I just think about try to go on court and try to fight
every point and play point by point. Not thinking any
more of the next point.
Q. You had a lot of support from home, your
girlfriend, parents, people from your club. Is that
important to you?
RAFAEL NADAL: I have all the family, my team here, so,
sure, is nice to have the friends here. Is always nice
have your people around you.
Q. How have you changed your game to become so
comfortable on grass where you now have two Wimbledon
championships?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. The main thing I think is if
you want to play well, you gonna find a way. So if you
really want to play well in one surface and you are a
good player, I think in the end you gonna find a way.
And play for me on grass always was my dream, and play
here for me was all my life a big goal for me. So I think
I have very good thing to play here on grass is the
movement. I move well on this court, and that's very
important part of the game.
Sure, later my serve always was improving a little bit.
Is important play more aggressive than the rest of the
surfaces, no?
But, sure, I tell you, the main thing is really want to
improve in every surface. On grass is the main thing.
Q. How hungry are you regarding winning the US Open?
How important is it for you to win the US Open, as well?
RAFAEL NADAL: Right now I'm very happy to win Wimbledon.
Yeah (smiling). We gonna think about US Open in one
month. Right now we just relax and enjoy for me this
amazing season.
Was very difficult for me to be back at my best. I did,
so is very important and emotional moment for me. I want
to enjoy that. For sure, keep working to try to be in the
US Open finally ready to try to win. But for sure US Open
gonna be one of my goals for rest of my career.
But right now is enjoy the beach, fishing, golf, friends,
party, and Mallorca.
Q. You're known for playing all the points with great
intensity and focus. It seems on the critical points,
like today at the breakpoints, you really focused, you
lift your game. Can you talk about what you do on the big
points.
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, today I was a little bit more nervous
than usual. I was a little bit lucky on few moments with
the breakpoints. I had two good forehands, and later I
have a rally with the slice backhand. So he finish
missing the backhand to the net.
So I don't know. I just try my best in every moment,
every practice, every point. Important thing is be there
all the time. If you are there all the time, you are have
more chances to save the breakpoints.
Q. You talked before about the importance of the
movement. Even if you don't like to speak normally about
injuries, you still run like a rabbit or a jaguar, it
depends what kind of animal you think. How do you explain
it? You talk about knees, this and that. Nobody is
capable to run like you.
RAFAEL NADAL: No, I don't have any problem today. I
didn't have any problem today, and for the last four
matches I didn't have any problem. So that's all. Without
healthy is impossible to be where I am today.
Q. Is there a special practice you do to be quicker
than somebody else, to react?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. I think all my life I practiced with my
high hundred percent of intensity in every ball in the
practice.
So when I have only controls -- normally I never have
controls, normal controls. I play every control like a
point.
That's why I think today I am faster, no? Probably now
I'm not practicing with the same intensity like when I
was a kid. When I was a kid, I practiced, believe me,
like crazy.
Q. Did you expect this kind of return?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. For sure, no. I gonna say another time
the same. I go day by day, and I wake up every morning
with the illusion to practice and to improve, with the
allusion to play well another time.
So last seven months or six months of 2009 season I
wasn't ready to play at this level. I was ready to fight,
but not to play like I am doing now.
The positive thing in that seven months is I didn't lose
in first round, second round, no? I wasn't ready to win,
but I was there all the time, semifinals, quarterfinals,
one time one final in Shanghai. So without playing well,
I had not bad results. So that's very important for the
confidence.
And when I finish the season 2009 and I went to Mallorca
and I start to practice, well, you see the difference. If
you play semifinals and quarterfinals, you see everything
a little bit more easier, because without play well I was
there.
So just keep working, be ready to work hard to be ready
for 2010, and if I improve, I gonna have the chance
another time to win.
Q. Today Lorenzo won in motorcycle. Spain is in the
semifinal of the World Cup. You won here. What is so
special in Spanish athletes? If Spain reaches the final,
will you go there to see it?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I don't know. For the last two years
we had amazing success on very important sports. So maybe
is a little bit lucky, because is impossible to have one
No. 1 like Pau Gasol, all the unbelievable players of the
basketball in Spain.
Q. And Lorenzo?
RAFAEL NADAL: Sure, Lorenzo, Pedrosa, Contador. For sure,
we won the Europa Cup with the football, and right now we
are in semifinals in the World Cup. So we are in probably
the best moment of our history in sport.
That's very difficult to do. We have to know how
difficult is be there and enjoy these moments, because
gonna be very difficult to repeat another generation like
we have now.
Q. Will you go to the final, Cape Town?
RAFAEL NADAL: I have to do treatment right now on the
knees. I have to have serious work, the same time to try
to ready for the American season. So I don't think so. I
gonna see.
But for me would be a pleasure to be there. I am a crazy
fan of football, and for sure a big supporter of our
team. I am in contact with the players. You know, I just
wish the team all the best.
But if the World Cup can be a little bit closer, gonna be
easier for me to be there.
Q. You surprised some people with your summersault at
the end. Is that something you thought through or did
spontaneously?
RAFAEL NADAL: I didn't thought nothing about that. That
was my reaction that moment, no?
Q. Winning the French and Wimbledon back to back, it's
been said, is the hardest thing in tennis. You've now
done it twice. How special do you think that is as an
achievement?
RAFAEL NADAL: It didn't happen since Borg, so now last
three years it happen twice. So how crazy is the life.
Q. The way you played in the clay court season, to be
able to transfer that to grass, how tough is that?
RAFAEL NADAL: Is difficult. For sure is difficult. But
important thing is I repeat the same than before: have
enough illusion to play after winning in Roland Garros,
to play well on grass.
So after a few years for me, I know how important is the
grass court season. And after winning in Roland Garros
Sunday, I am practicing on Monday in Queen's because I
know how difficult is to change and to adapt the surface.
Every day is goal to be ready to play here in Wimbledon.
So is difficult, yes. But if you have experience in the
past and you have lot of matches on grass in the past,
that's gonna help you a lot.
Q. You mentioned you were a bit nervous. Was it
different playing here? You played three finals against
Roger. Was it different today playing as the favorite?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. If you are not nervous in the
final of Wimbledon, you are not human, so...
Q. This year tennis fans remember this championship
for your win, but also Isner and Mahut. What message do
you have for them?
RAFAEL NADAL: I saw the match. Was unbelievable. Just can
congratulate both players because what they did. They
show amazing good spirit for the crowd, for the young
people, because the attitude was very positive and
fighting a lot every point, like for 10 hours or 11
hours, I don't know.
So was just amazing. Both players need to acknowledge,
the rest of the people, especially the tennis people.
Thank you very much.
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