[法網] Rafael Nadal 第九天賽後訪問
Day 9 - An interview with Rafael Nadal - Monday, June 4, 2007
Q. A little bit of a bump late in the match, but this was your best tennis of
the tournament, no?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I'm very happy today with my game. I'm happy about the
win. Very good win against Lleyton. So, yeah, I played the best match of the
tournament, sure, my best match, I mean.
Q. Now the battle for Mallorca?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, nice to be in quarterfinals again here in Roland Garros,
nice play against one of my best friends, Carlos Moya.
So I'm very happy for him, because he is playing very well. He is coming back
at the top position. So I'm very happy for him playing semifinals in Hamburg,
and right now, he's in quarterfinals. I hope he stops here (smiling).
No, anyway, he's playing very, very well.
Q. From the very start of the tournament, did you see Lleyton coming in this
round and that it would be a big test for you?
RAFAEL NADAL: I know. Now I know the normal thing, if I am playing well, and
if he play well, have this match today, no?
So just, first of all, I just think about the first matches. You always look
at the draw, no? And I know if I arrive to fourth round, Lleyton. Is always a
very good test, and very tough match, because he's a winner. So it's
difficult with him. I'm very happy about my game today.
Q. This is perfect for your confidence to beat a great champion like Lleyton
in this round?
RAFAEL NADAL: It's perfect to be in quarterfinals and it's perfect play. Ten
times better today than the last days, no?
Q. When you and Moya play 11's, do you play for a bet, and who wins normally?
RAFAEL NADAL: 11's? Oh, 11's. I don't know. Depends on the moment. Two days
ago, I won. And in Mallorca, I have more loses than win.
Q. You ever bet for dinner?
RAFAEL NADAL: What?
Q. The winner buys dinner?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, no winner of dinners or morning. No, we some -- I don't
know exactly in English -- push-ups, or some (Spanish) Kangaroos.
Q. Lleyton just was talking about the forehands that he faces on clay courts,
and he said Gonzalez has a great forehand, and Federer has a great forehand,
but yours was the toughest on clay. What is the toughest shot that you face
in clay court tennis, the toughest shot?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't understand very good the question, so. I did not
understand what he said about Federer.
Well, Federer. Federer, in my opinion, have the best forehand in every single
place, because he can play the best forehand in all places, on grass, on
clay.
So, well, Gonzalez has big power, but not the same control, control, you
know, exactly.
So I think I am not the best forehand of the tournament. No, I have some
difference. I don't have a special big shot, no? I have a good backhand, good
forehand -- well, a better forehand.
But Moya have a big forehand, too. So it's one of the top guys with the
forehand.
Q. You don't think your forehand is a huge shot, a big shot?
RAFAEL NADAL: It is a good shot, for sure. I can't be the No. 2 in the world
for three years and have a bad forehand. So, that's true. No, I have a good
forehand. For me, in my game, it's my best shot. But I don't know if it's one
of the best forehands on the tour. In clay, maybe, one of the best.
Q. You showed a lot of respect for Hewitt. Apologizing on a passing shot.
Apologizing when you hit the line. Why was this?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I like a lot his game, and I like his attitude on court.
So he is a fighter, so I like that. And I have a lot of respect for all the
players, no? But especially, with fighter. I don't have any problem with
Lleyton, so I like him.
Q. In the third set, Hewitt looked as if he wanted to try the outmost, and
put it to the fifth gear, tried some incredible shots. Some of them worked.
And then he started maybe getting tired and missing some easy forehands other
than doing big shots. But at the third set, did you feel that even towards
the end and the tiebreak, that if he kept playing like this, those big shots,
he could get you in trouble in the match?
RAFAEL NADAL: All the way, the match was tough, no? Especially in the first
set, he start to serving better, and that's put more pressure on the
opponents. So when you arrive to a tiebreak, I know if I lose the tiebreak,
I'm in the fourth set, and you start all the time the match, because he comes
with confidence after returning for lose the game, for lose the match.
So always is tough if I lose the third set. It's going to be continuing in
the match, fighting for the victory, but the match was very close.
Q. Do you remember watching Moya win the French Open as a boy?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, well, yeah, I remember. No, but not exactly. I saw him on
TV a lot of times. I remember the final against Corretja, who he played very,
very well, very good match. But I can't remember, really very good, no. I was
very, very young.
Q. Was him winning the French Open an inspiration to you when you were young?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't have any idols, any heroes, nothing, no. But sure,
having a player like Moya in Mallorca was very, very important for me. And
for sure, I have the opportunity for practice with him a lot of times. That's
helped me a lot. And having a model close to you is easier, no? So that's
important for me.
Q. Because you're close to Carlos, and maybe you will bring different
emotions to this match, how will you approach it?
RAFAEL NADAL: CIt is true we are very, very good friends, but we are fighting
for the semifinals of Roland Garros. So that's not a joke. We're going to
play the best always with the respect. The respect I'm going to have. I have
big respect for him, so, always with fair play. But just trying to do the
best for win the match.
Q. Can you put the friendship out of your mind?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I play a lot of matches against him. I played when I was
young matches against my best friend, too, Thomas, a friend of mine in
Mallorca, important matches. So, when you play these matches, normally you
play important matches. But when you're on court, always your friend, you
don't want to -- say one ball is out, I'm not going to be, well, Rafa going
to win the ball. No, because I have confidence with him. But I want to win,
and I can forgot that for one moment, for the match.
THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish, please.
Q. It was a beautiful fight with Hewitt. For the third set, there was some
danger. Even when you were 6-3, 6-1, he was still trying to fight, and we saw
you using your tactics to try and save your energy and play with a slow ball.
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, he played then in the third set -- in the first set -- in
the two first sets, he was not playing that well. But in the third set, he
was definitely improving his game. And at one stage, it was not as accurate,
because at 6-5, I couldn't find exactly the right way to play. Then I managed
to score the last point, and that changed the game.
But I'm very happy with the way I played today. And as for my strategy, I
tried to play my game, and I tried to define the momentum. I also tried not
to play on his backhand. And in Hamburg, this is a mistake I had made, so I
didn't want to do that again.
Q. We saw that you were really saving your energy, but that you were having
great fun on the court.
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, saving energy, not that much, but because when you play
at Roland Garros against Hewitt, you don't save any energy. Having fun, yes,
this is something you can say. This is one of the matches I suffered less
because -- in which I suffered a lot because the pressure was great. When you
get closer to the final, the pressure increases.
Although, I am very much in the tournament right now, I'm more confident. I
feel I played better. However, the opponents I have to play now will be very
difficult opponents. And you can't predict how they will be playing. And this
is when I'll start having fun.
Q. Which were the emotions you had thinking about playing Carlos in the
quarterfinals?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, as I said in English, he is a friend. He is somebody
important to me for my career, and I need to thank him. He's always been a
gentleman. And I had wonderful experiences with him. We won the Davis Cup
together, and that brought us together, really. I must say that when he stops
playing tennis, I'll still have a few years to go, but I will miss him
because he is a friend. We can have dinner together every evening and have
conversations together.
So this should be a very beautiful match, whatever happens. One of us will
reach the semifinals, and at that stage, I will -- all I could say is I'd
like to reach the semifinals with him.
Q. Is it with him you'd like to play the final? Or is it against him you'd
like to win?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, it's always a sort of bitter aftertaste when you win
against one of your best friends. But to a certain extent, I'd prefer not
having to fight him in the quarterfinals, but meet him in the semifinal or in
the final. But the positive thing about this is that one of us will reach the
semifinal, and we'll have one Spanish player in the semifinal of a Grand Slam
tournament, and that's very positive.
Q. We asked Carlos exactly the same question, we asked him if he would meet
an opponent or a friend. So what about you?
RAFAEL NADAL: On the court, an opponent. Five minutes before, a friend, and
five minutes after, a friend. When you walk on the court, you have a total
respect, total confidence for the person, because if there's one person I
trust, it's him. But when playing a match, you play a match 100%, not
thinking about anything else.
Q. He also said that whether on the court or on the Playstation, he won't
give you any point. Because you're friends, he won't be as tense as with
other players. He'll be more relaxed because you know each other very well.
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, we're at the top of our physical condition, the two of
us. We're both be very happy to be in semifinals. And we'll do ten push-ups,
and I won't ask him to do his push-ups before he leaves the court (laughing).
I need to be strong psychologically speaking.
Oh, no, come on, I'm just kidding. That wouldn't be nice.
We've both reached the quarterfinals. We both want to win. And whatever
happens, five minutes before the match, five minutes after the match, we'll
be friends. And we'll respect each other during the match. Thank God we are
in quarterfinals together. And that's already very positive.
Q. You said you'd be very confident and positive. During the last nine days,
were there any moments when you didn't feel confident, when you didn't feel
very much at ease?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, it's always because of this experience I've accumulated
over the years. I've been playing for a certain number of years now, and what
would be strange would be for me to play at a lower level now. I've reached a
good level. My tennis is good, and so far I was playing not to lose, and now
I'm playing to win.
You know, when you win your match, you walk out, and you're ready to fight
again, to win again. I've played a very good match. And when I walked out, I
thought, "Whoa, I was lucky I won."
Q. Since this tournament started, everybody said it's going to be a final --
RAFAEL NADAL: Yes, don't mention the name of Federer again.
Q. No, but do you reckon another player like Cañas could emerge?
RAFAEL NADAL: The question is not is there any other player. There were eight
of us, there are eight of us in the quarterfinals, and each of us wants to
win the final because each of us wants this. So don't talk about Federer and
myself more than the others. Roger and myself have reached the quarterfinals,
fair enough. But all the others have as well. So I don't want to think
further ahead. I hope I'll be able to play the final against Federer.
Q. But do you think Cañas could be in the final?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, this is my personal opinion. I think Cañas will have to
play a very difficult match before he can play Federer. He'll have to play
Robredo before he plays Federer. So it's going to be difficult for him. And I
don't think it's because Cañas has won twice against Federer that he can win
again. But we'll see what happens.
Robredo is at a very good level. Cañas, Davydenko, also. These are players
who are very fit at the moment. Like Andreev and Djokovic. You can't say what
will happen; anything can happen.
Q. For us coming from America, it's not as easy to be close to you as for our
European colleagues. So my question is as follows, we had two left-handed
people, Marcello Rios, and Thomas Muster. After you saw them, is there
anything you have learned from them?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I'd love to be able to answer this question, but I can't
remember exactly how they played. I have seen them.
But if I were to answer this question and give you some information, I'd be
lying. I remember. I remember some of their games, some of their matches, but
I can't remember their style, exactly.
Q. Which is the left-handed player that most inspired you?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I always try to play my way. And no matter whether your
opponent is left-handed or right handed, what we try and do is copy what we
like in other people.
Q. You obviously played a very high level game, but weren't you surprised to
see Hewitt not being very strong during the first two sets?
RAFAEL NADAL: That's always the case. In Hamburg, he won me -- he won the two
first sets, and here it was just the opposite. Maybe last time I was not
playing very well, and he was playing his best level. And here he was not
playing his best level, whereas, I was.
Q. But in the third set things were better balanced?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yes, he started playing very well, and that's quite normal.
When you play like Hewitt, you're used to fighting and suffering.
Thank you very much.
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