Queen's June 10 2011 - Rafael Nadal

J. TSONGA/R. Nadal

           

6‑7, 6‑4, 6‑1

        

        

RAFAEL NADAL

        

            Q.  What are your thoughts on that?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  My thoughts was I didn't play bad at the beginning, no?  He was serving really well.  Second set I had my chances, in my opinion.

            Probably after losing second set mentally I lost my concentration.  First game mentally a little bit tired.  A lot of matches in a row.

            And after that, you know, with the break in the third it was a mountain for me to come back into the match.  Probably I wasn't there like usual, but certainly I think I need a little bit of break.

            Q.  You missed an easy volley at the net on game point.

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Not an easy volley.  It was a dropshot.  It wasn't a volley.

            Terrible mistake for that moment after he played a good return.  He played well.  He played well.  And I didn't play every point if was the last like I do usual, and for that reason the third set was tough.

            Q.  Is that because you're tired mentally and physically, as well?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  A little bit of everything, no?  I had a tough Roland Garros.  I had tough clay court season.  American season was two finals, too.  So I played all the matches possible this last four or five months, so is fantastic my result last five months, very happy for everything.

            Yeah, I came here.  I tried in all the moments.  So I tried in doubles, I tried in singles, I tried to practice hard.  Hopefully it was good preparation for me.

            Sorry for the tournament because I had my chance to be in the semifinals, but it wasn't possible today.

            Q.  How long will you rest?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  I don't know yet.  I just lost five minutes ago.  I don't know.

            Q.  Do you think you'll go back home for a few days?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  I'm sure.

            Q.  You must be looking forward to that.

            RAFAEL NADAL:  That's important for me, yeah?  Always be there with the family around, the friends and everything, having people close to me.

            So I need few days to be with them and hopefully come back full to Wimbledon probably next Wednesday or Thursday; Wednesday, I think.

            Q.  Is it concerning at all or is it also good that you got a couple of extra days off?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Negative thing is I lost; positive thing is I have few days off and can stop a little bit mentally.  I can be a little bit more relaxed, because every day ‑‑ I play every day with pressure.  Wake up every day with that pressure that you have to play is not easy, and that's what happened for me last four months every day.

            Q.  Will you touch a tennis racquet when you go home?     

RAFAEL NADAL:  Do some physical performance.  I don't think so.  I don't have grass courts there.  Have maybe some serves, yes.  But rest of the things, nothing.

            Q.  What is the one thing, Rafa, you will look forward to doing most when you go home?  What will be the best thing about being at home for a few days?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Be with the friends, be with the family, play some golf, relax, go fishing maybe.  That's relaxing, too.  You know, have a little bit of distraction mentally, think of other things, not tennis.

            Q.  Do you find it hard to switch off, to not think about tennis?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  You know, it's tough when ‑‑ is impossible when you have Wimbledon next week, that's for sure, but try to do different things to be ready for Wimbledon, that's true.

            Q.  Are you confident you can recharge your batteries?  Are you confident that you can recharge your batteries before Wimbledon?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Yes.  I am very confident.  I didn't know if I will play well, but I gonna be there with high motivation and hopefully in perfect performance physically.

Roland Garros June 5 2011 - Rafael Nadal

R. NADAL/R. Federer

           

7‑5, 7‑6, 5‑7, 6‑1

           

           

RAFAEL NADAL

            Q.  Congratulations.  First of all, we are used to clapping the winner in the press room.

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Thank you.

            Q.  Can you tell us what changed in Nadal during this tournament?  Because just few days ago you say if, I play like this, I cannot win the tournament.  You won it and you deserve it.

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Well, I think sometimes can happen this way; sometimes not.  But what I said one week ago is I am going to put everything to try to change the situation, to try to play better, and that's what I did.

            I try my best in every moment with the right attitude all the time, so finally I was able to play my best when I needed my best.

            So for that reason, today I am here with the trophy.  Very happy for that.  It's a big personal satisfaction to win this tournament, especially when you started without playing your best.

            My mind was open to change the situation, so that makes the victory probably more special ‑‑ if it's possible be more special, because win Roland Garros is always ‑‑ you can't win something more special, no?  It's the highest level of tournaments in the tennis world.

            So in general, very, very happy for everything.

            Q.  You always say that this tournament is the most important for you for the season.  Why is that?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Well, always is the tournament where I feel that I have more chances to win ‑‑  if we talk about the Grand Slams.  So this is my biggest chance of the year.  If I win this tournament, I know my year is fantastic.

            You are able to play with less pressure the rest of the season; you are able to keep playing with the same attitude, with the same positive attitude playing every day, but with less pressure than before and with better confidence than before.

            So win this title always was very important every season.  For me, when I won here, I always had a successful season.  So in general, this probably the most important tournament of the year for me.

            Q.  Can you talk about maybe how tough it was today and what was the key to succeed today?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  To win?

            Q.  Yeah, against Roger.

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Well, Roger, I think, played a fantastic tournament, in my opinion.  His level was very high during both weeks; semifinals match was very, very high level.

            Today I think he did well.  He was a little bit unlucky at the first set, and after that, he came back fantastically well in the second.  In the third I had 4‑2, but seriously, I think he played very, very good from that moment to the beginning of the fourth.

            So when Roger plays like this, the opponent has nothing to do sometimes.  I just waited my moment, tried to be there all the time, tried to put him in not easy situations all the time.  And save the Love‑40 of the first game of the fourth was very important for me, no?

            That was a big turning point of the match, in my opinion.  I think Roger did well; I think Roger played well, played good match.  It's true my style is a little bit different than Djokovic style for him.  I let him play higher than Novak, so for him sometimes it's more difficult to go inside and to hit the ball in perfect conditions all the time.

            But in my opinion, today it was very hard, because sometimes ‑‑ a lot of times in the past when I serve against his backhand I was able to start the point under control.  Not today.  I think he returned very well with the backhand, better than ever in this tournament.  So that was a big problem for me.

            Q.  Your focus has been very intense since the start of this tournament, perhaps more than any of us have seen here.  Is that because you came in here perhaps a little hurt by your losses to Djokovic in Madrid and Rome and you were very, very desperate to win this title?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  No.  I think I came here probably with a little bit less confident than other times for that reason, because I saw him playing fantastic.  Even if I was there and I was happy about my match in Rome, was hard to lose another time.  Lose four finals in a row is not easy.

            My feeling was I am having a fantastic year, because was six straight finals when I was healthy.  Before I had problems in Doha and Australia, so when I was healthy, I was every time in the final.

            Normally I have a good record in finals.  This year I only had the chance to win two.  Even if I had very good chance ins Indian Wells and Miami to win the finals, I didn't.

            So that was hard for me mentally probably.  For that reason, I started the tournament a little bit less confident than other times.

            Q.  Rafa, in the beginning, after Federer had won against Djokovic in that great match and he led 5‑2 and he was playing some of his best, did that really make you think, What is this?  This is not one of our regular finals here.  Were you more scared for the match at that point than any other final?  And the second thing is, when we look at the match, you have been very like letting Roger lead the game.  He makes mistakes or he makes points.  Did you think he would win on percentage overall?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  I think was tough to say that, because with the 5‑2 wasn't an easy moment for me.  But 2006 I lost 6‑1 the first set, so worse than 2006 wasn't.  I know the first set was important.  Always is important set for me, the first one.

            But even if I lost that set, you know, on clay the matches are long, and it's not easy to play all the time at your best and play aggressive and play with no mistakes.

            Roger was doing that very well in the beginning.  I say before, I was lucky with the 5‑2 and with the 5‑3.  After that, I think I played very good tennis for the next two sets.

            Q.  Last week you came in and were very honest and open about not feeling confident.  Now, can you tell us what it is that was able to change your state of mind and make you more confident?  Was there something in the match with Soderling or before or after where you suddenly were able to turn the switch on on your confidence?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Seriously, I was practicing not that bad, so that's a point that give my confidence.  But what I didn't understand very well is when I go on court and play match, I am playing with too nervous, too anxious.

            For that reason, I wasn't able to play the same in practice than during the match.  But when you feel that you can play good in practice, you know, the feeling of play well is not that far.  So that's give me confidence at the same time.

            You know, you arrive to quarterfinals and you play against Soderling; you know you have a tough match.  You know if you don't play well, you go home.  You have to do it, and I did, so...

            Q.  Is it a mystery how it comes and goes even for you, the confidence?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Well, it's not a mystery, no, because sometimes happen like this.  You are not playing that well, but when the opponent let you play at your best, you are ready to do it.

            If I was practicing well, I had a good chances to do it in the match when the opponent give me ‑‑ let me play at this level, no?

            It's true, from the first round I wasn't able to play this level.  Second round neither.  But after that, I think third round, fourth round, I had to play much better than what I did, because the level start there in the practice.

            So I didn't probably because the opponent wasn't ‑‑ they don't give me (through translation) T hey didn't demand that level.

            Even for the match of Soderling I wasn't confident, but I was on court.  I was able to play, focus, and to start to play my tennis on clay.  I finished the tournament playing very high level of play for me.

            Q.  Is it possible for you to compare how satisfied you are with today's win compared to some of your other titles?  Seems like a massive achievement for you.

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Well, every title is ‑‑ always this kind of title is very satisfying.  It's difficult to say this one, I am not satisfied with this one, because to win a tournament like this you have to be playing really well.

            But sometimes when you fight a lot to win, when you try your best in every moment to change the situation, it makes the title more special.  For example, in 2008 I think I played better than ever, but I finished the tournament and, you know, I didn't feel that I won Roland Garros because I won in three sets.  Not that difficult fourth round, quarterfinals, semifinals, with not many tough moments.

            Playing fantastic tennis, but every tournament is very special.  But when you come back after not easy situation, makes the tournaments and the victories more special for sure.

            Q.  Well done.

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Thank you.

            Q.  You said to win Roland Garros is fantastic.  You now will have less pressure on you for the whole year.  Now that you have won, do you feel relieved?  Do you feel younger than 25?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  No, I feel 25.  I am happy with 25.  I don't want to go back four or three years, because I don't know if I am ready to do what I did another time.

            So, no, I am happy.  All the victories makes me happy, but not the victory is what makes me happy.  What makes me happy is what I had to do before to have a victory like this.

            So a lot of hours of practice, a lot of moments with high intensity, with positive attitude.  When things are not going well, keep progressing with the same attitude.  That's what makes me happy; that's what makes me feel very satisfied with myself.

            Not have this title for sure ‑‑ this title is very important for me and for everybody, I think, but what makes me feel very happy is all the work what I did to be here and to win the title another time.

            Q.  You said before that you weren't confident coming here.  How do you feel going into Wimbledon?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Well, before Queen's, so not Wimbledon.  Now I have to work a little bit on grass.  You know, is always a big change.  Even if I had success on grass last years, for me is a big change all the time.

            So I have to adapt my game another time and try to remember what I did well on grass, why I played well on grass, what I have to do to have the same feeling another time there.

            That's hours and hours on grass court.  So I going to start tomorrow a little bit.  Play doubles hopefully Tuesday, and Wednesday start the singles.  After winning a title like this, you go there with a different attitude, with very positive confidence.

            So for me, win here makes me play Queen's and Wimbledon with less pressure.  Not for that with less allusion or less motivation.

            Q.  Congratulations.  You equal Bjorn Borg's record of six here.  What does that mean to you?  I spoke with Jim Courier, and he thinks that maybe your six are more impressive because of the level of competition you faced in getting them.

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Well, for me it's something very special equal the six titles of Bjorn, for sure.  But for me, the most important thing is win Roland Garros, no?  It's really honor to have this record with him.  I going to keep working to be here next year and to try to play well another time.

            But today is a day to enjoy this title, because is very difficult win this title.  Six times are a lot.  So seriously, it's a real honor, the comparison with Bjorn.

            THE MODERATOR:  Questions in Spanish, please.

            Q.  Rafa, can you tell us about the final and about the tournament in a few words, how you raised your level of game and how this process took place?  And likewise, when was the real Rafa back?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Well, the real Rafa is both the Rafa who wins and the Rafa who plays well and the Rafa who suffers and doesn't play that well.

            You have to face this situation.  You also have a Rafa that plays very well and wins.  These two Rafas are real Rafas.  The most positive thing is that I was capable of reversing situations and keeping a good attitude in order to reverse the situation.

            I prepared, I practiced, I focused, and motivated myself thinking things would change.  Even though sometimes things were not very good for me, I knew that at the end of the day things would turn out right for me.

            So I had this positive attitude that was sufficient to change the situation, especially during the first week.

            Today's match, likewise, I mean, I started slowly.  He was very aggressive and it was very difficult.

            Q.  I have two questions:  First, when you reached the fourth set after losing the third, we saw that you had a slight injury and you recovered.  How did you manage to come back?  Second question, how do you feel after winning this tournament?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  When the third set was over, the only thing I felt is that this is going to be a very complicated match, because he played at a very high level and I had to find a way to win.

            When Roger plays at this level, the only thing we can do is observe and wait because he's fantastic.  So you need to wait with a good attitude, to be ready, and take all opportunities.

            At one stage, I thought he was playing better than me.  I was down Love‑40.  I knew I could come back.  This was a key game in the match.  I was thinking, Well, he plays very well.  At the moment, he plays better than me.

            But you have to keep playing and wait for the right moment in order to try and take control of the game again.  But I also had another thing in mind.  For example, if he wants to win, he has to keep playing at this level of game during the match.

            I didn't want to make things easy for him.  That was clear.  So I had to make it difficult for him.  At one stage, I had an opportunity; I took it.  This is when I started leading again.

            Q.  Congratulations.  What about when there was the rain?  You had to wait.  How did you manage that?  Was it like in Wimbledon?  Are you getting used to it?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Well, it was very short.  We were at 5‑4, 40‑All; these were very important points.  Winning the second set was almost vital for me.  I knew that during the second set he had to maintain a very high level of tennis in order to win.

            It would have been impossible.  For two hours and a half it was very difficult to do.  The match was more in my favor after I was leading two sets to love.

            Then I made a mistake; I did not return well on one point.  He had a set point, but I managed to win the second set.

            Q.  At the beginning of the tournament, you said you have to raise your level or you go back home.

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Well, for me, what's important is the tournament; winning the tournament is the most important.  I think Djokovic deserves to be at his ranking.  I don't know if he is No. 1 already.  I don't know if he can be No. 1 after Queen's, Wimbledon.

            Each match is very important, like a match point.  But in any case, I want to be very competitive.  I want to stay at a very high level.  This is my seventh final in a row for this season, so things are fine.  My objective is to continue with the same level of intensity, motivation, and continue playing very well.

            Along the year I had ups and downs, but I'm very happy and satisfied.

            (TV break. )

            THE MODERATOR:  Spanish questions.

            Q.  Rafa, Roger is regarded as the best player of all‑time by many people.  What happens when you look at your record compared to his?  You won 17 titles and many other statistics are in your favor.

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Well, it means I can play well as well.  It means that things went well when we played against each other.  But this does not prevent anything else.

            And when you talk about these statistics, when you try and make these comparisons, really it's not very interesting to me.  I'm very happy with what I have, with who I am.  I'm not the best player in the history of tennis.  I think I'm amongst the best.  That's true.

            That's enough for me.  I have a very high level of tennis.  I am quite satisfied, and very happy with what I managed to do.  I'm very thankful for everything that's happened to me up until today.  I can't say that the opposite.

            Now I need to continue working and do everything I have to do from a mental and physical standpoint.

            Q.  First of all, congratulations.  You started this tournament being a bit anxious.  Was it more anxiety than you've felt in other tournaments?  If so, why?  Second question, there were times where you could have closed the match before.  Was it because you felt pressure?  Did the crowd play a role?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Well, I think the atmosphere was awesome.  I think the crowd, the people out there were very supportive.  Maybe a bit more of Roger, but that's not a problem.  I think the people were very respectful.  I had no problem.

            Now, about your question about anxiety and fears, I think during this tournament I was probably a bit more anxious, at least more anxious than I should have been, and more anxious than usual.

            But you know what, when I come to Roland Garros I'm usually a bit more anxious than other tournaments.  It took me a bit of time to overcome this feeling.  But in the other years it was the same thing.

            Q.  The crowd was shouting, Roger, but also, Nadal or Rafa and there were many Spanish people.

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Yes, the Spanish people were there.  They were wonderful; they supported me.  There were people coming from Spain, Mallorca, and there are people supporting me through TV throughout the world.

            To me, it's a great satisfaction knowing that some people want me to win.  That's something that helps me a lot.  I think the crowd here was very respectful.

            The other day they were slightly more aggressive during the match between Novak and Roger, but today they were really fair.  They saw a match that was a very high‑quality match.  I think it's a very special match as well, because of all this past or history that we have, Roger and I.

            Q.  Can you explain what you felt when you finished the match?  Did you ask yourself the question as to whether you were the second‑best player of all‑time?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  I didn't ask myself this question.  I was just happy I won Roland Garros.  Beating records is fine; it's perfect.  It's an honor to say that I have as many wins here as Borg, I won as many titles here as he did.  That's awesome.  There was a lot of emotion.

            But the main satisfaction comes from all the work you did to get to this stage.  You have difficult moments; you have wonderful moments.  You come here, and I work with a team which has always been very supportive.  Without them, it would be impossible for me to be here today.  It's all thanks to them.

            Quite honestly, I had lots of emotions when I won.  You know, sometimes some matches were more difficult.  As I managed to overcome my difficulties, I had the reward, which is this trophy.  That's a great satisfaction because of all the work I had to do to succeed.

            This is what gives you satisfaction.  Thank you very much.

Roland Garros June 4 2011 - Rafael Nadal (Pre - final)

RAFAEL NADAL

  

            Q.  You and Roger have met 24 times over the years.  Are there any match or matches in particular that you have especially fond memories from that you remember especially well?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Against Roger?

            Q.  Yeah, throughout the years.

            RAFAEL NADAL:  I think we had a lot of fantastic matches:  final of Rome, final of Miami 2005, final of Rome 2006.  For sure the 2007 final of Wimbledon, 2008 final of Wimbledon, Australia.

            A lot of important matches for our careers.  A lot of emotions in these kind of matches.  That makes this match always very special, no?  Always we play these matches when we were No. 1 and No. 2 or No. 2 and No. 1.  That makes it special always.

            Q.  Were you surprised to find out it's Roger again, and what do you think of his level after yesterday's match?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  No surprise.  You are more surprise than me, for sure.  We know how good is Roger.  Roger is having I think, in my opinion, a good season.  He lost only against Novak in Australia, Dubai, Indian Wells, against me in Miami, against me Madrid.

            Always there in semifinals, finals, winning in Doha.  So he's having a very good year, no?  Impossible to be every week at your best.  What Roger did in his career is something impossible to repeat for the rest of the players today, I think.

            So he's fantastic, and he's not surprise for me.  He's very, very good player.  Always is honor to play against him, and for sure is not surprise to see Roger in the final of another Grand Slam.

            Q.  Does it change the way you see the final, though, with in Roger in it rather than Novak, the way you think about it?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Well, yeah, it's a little bit different match.  At the same time, I know I have to play at my highest level to have chances to win, because he is playing fantastic.  The match of yesterday probably give to him a little bit more confidence.  So he know he was playing fantastic during all the tournament.

            But after the victory of yesterday he must feel very confident, no?  Was fantastic match yesterday to watch, in my opinion, so I had lot of fun watching that match.

            Nothing new against Roger.  I know what's gonna happen.  I know he gonna play aggressive, for sure.  I have to try to play long, to play consistent all the time, and try to be aggressive when I have the chance.

            Q.  If you compare your feeling this year with the other finals you played here, do you feel is anything different this year?  Can you compare it with your level of play, with your confidence before the other finals you played here?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  No.  Every year is completely different.  I cannot compare every year, because every year is different.

            But the only final that I really felt very confident was in 2008, because I feel myself playing better than ever that final.  The rest of the finals you go on court, you know, you know you play against one of the best players of the world in everyone.  Gonna be the fourth against him, against Roger.

            You know that when you play against him you can win, but you have a lot of chances to lose, too.  You have to accept both things, try to play your best, and we will see what's going on.

            Q.  Does that not, though, give you a huge lift mentally to know he only won a handful of games last time you played in a final here?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Sorry?

            Q.  Does that not give you great encouragement to remember that in 2008 he won only four games against you in the final?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  No, that doesn't make that...

            Q.  Can you use that to your advantage, remembering how brilliant you were on that day?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Is three years later, so is impossible to compare matches three years before than three years later.  That's something that is impossible to think.  Every day is different, so every year change a lot of things.

            And I say before the feeling of every year is completely different, so is impossible.  I gonna go on court knowing that I can lose 100%, and I can win, I hope.  So I gonna try.

            Q.  You watched the match yesterday.  From what you saw in his game, what will be the key tomorrow for you and with those balls that we've talked a lot?  Did you get used to these balls now?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  The balls?  The balls, everybody talked a lot about balls because is a new brand, but the balls are pretty similar, in my opinion, to last year.  The balls are really good ball, so that's not for the ball one player gonna win, another one gonna lose.

            I saw him yesterday playing fantastic in every moment.  My key always the same:  play at my best.  Sometimes is not enough.  But if I play my best, hopefully gonna have my chances.

            Q.  It's been two‑and‑a‑half years since you met last time in a Grand Slam final.  Are you happy to see him again on such a big stage, Roger?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  What's a big stage?  Stage because...

            Q.  Such a big tournament, like a Grand Slam tournament.

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Had one in Australia.  I didn't play against him in Australia, but he won Australia.  Last year at the end of the season he won the Masters Cup.

            So is impossible to have bigger stages than these ones.  So is not for two years‑and‑a‑half that Roger is not in a finals of Grand Slam?  Is not for two‑years‑and‑a‑half that Roger is not playing well.  Roger is playing well almost every time.

            Last year he lost unbelievable match in the semifinals of the US Open.  So he was there all the time playing fantastic.  He had fantastic end of the season last year winning, I don't know, a lot of tournaments.

            So for me, I am happy to play against him, because always is an honor to play against the best player of the history.  Because play against him always represents something very special.

            But not because I saw him another time at his top level, because I always saw him with enough potential to win in every tournament.

            Q.  There is a chance that it could rain tomorrow, or that the conditions could be very wet.  Do you think that would be an advantage...

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Rain tomorrow?

            Q.  A lot of rain.

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Rain?

            Q.  They say it could be raining tomorrow.

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Yeah.

            Q.  So if the conditions would be like that, rather wet, do you think that would be an advantage for Roger because your topspin balls maybe don't bounce as high, or is it more an advantage for you because his serves maybe are not as good as they are in fast conditions?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  For me, I prefer the sunshine always, and higher bounces.  So for my game is better if the ball is fast and if the bounces are higher.

            If rains, if the rain is there and the day is cloudy, sometimes the ball stays lower.  So that's a little bit an advantage for him.

            But seriously, I don't have the power to control the weather, so if rain, I gonna think that is an advantage for me; if sunshiny, gonna think is advantage for me.  I have to think positive all the time because I cannot control that.

            THE MODERATOR:  Spanish questions, please.

            Q.  Good morning, Rafa.  I guess you saw the tiebreak in the first set during Roger's semifinal yesterday.  I think you saw the entire match.  Most people say this match is just as impressive as the one you played in Wimbledon.  Would you say that's one of the most beautiful matches in the last years, just a very good match?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  No, it's a very good match.  It's a fantastic match from a tennis standpoint.  They both played at a very high level, playing spectacular points.  But when you see it on TV, it changes things.  You can't appreciate it as much as when you're on the court.

            But his level of tennis was absolutely excellent, and I don't think you can compare a final in Wimbledon with a semifinal.  I don't think the final in Wimbledon represents the same thing as the semifinal yesterday.

            When you talk about quality of game, then I don't know if it was better yesterday or in Wimbledon.  But I think that there are far more elements you need to take into account, and there are more matches in a Grand Slam.

            In Wimbledon there was much more at stake after I had been in the final for two times and I had lost.  If I won, that was a great opportunity for me to be No. 1 again after being No. 2 for three years.

            Obviously there was this problem of the rain and darkness at the end of the match.  But from the tennis standpoint, it was an excellent match yesterday, even though darkness was back at the end of the match.

            Although it was an excellent match, I don't think you can compare the two.

            Q.  You've seen Roger Federer playing that well on clay as you did yesterday?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  No, I didn't see all the match.  I just saw parts of the match, so I can't tell you.  But I saw him playing a very high level of tennis.

            I saw him playing Monfils, as well.  But I couldn't watch more.  He only lost one set all the way to the final, so it means that he played a very high level.  I think it's not a surprise Roger made it to the final, because he always made it to a final just playing always his matches very well.

            So it's not a surprise for me to see him playing in a very constant way.  Over the last month, maybe he gave you a feeling that he was not all that consistent or that constant and he lost a few sets, but he played very well in Rome.

            He is a very consistent, and seeing him playing so well is not a surprise to me.

            Q.  I know you already answered this question in English, but you always say that Roger is "the" best player in history, and this is exactly what he says about you on clay.  So I think we can expect a wonderful match tomorrow.

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Well, I don't know.  Wonderful match?  Well, a final in a Grand Slam is always a very special match.  Now, is it gonna be a wonderful match?  Well, it all depends, you know.

            In a final you have great tension, and this is not always easy to manage.  So the final is not always the best match in the tournament.  We have played some of our best matches in the finals and it's always been very special.  It also witnesses our rivalry over the last years.

            Now apparently there are other players, but we will see what happens.  If it was not a huge match, then ‑‑ I'm going to do everything I can to play my best and try and win; if it's not the case, Roger plays at a very high level and he can win.

            But I'll try and win.

            Q.  Rafa, 24 matches you win here; five times you won the final.  So at the beginning of the tournament this year, you had some doubts with the weather, with the new balls.  But then you didn't lose any set, so would you say that the image you have as "the" player who can't be defeated here in Roland Garros makes the other players look ‑‑ smaller players like Andujar who lost in three sets?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  No, I don't think you can compare the match of yesterday with other matches during the first and second round, because you have to be really prepared.  If you're not prepared, you have to go home.  I was prepared.  I had the preparation that allowed me to win.

            I think the success I had in this tournament since I started playing here is something which is difficult to explain.  I mean, it was impossible for me to explain a few years ago, but it's a dream that came true.

            The positive thing about this is that we all tend to try and see whether I played better, worse, or the same.  Without going into details, I was in a final six times, and I won five times out of six.

            And it's difficult to improve such results, but then from a mental and physical standpoint, the consequences are quite huge.  So for me it's a dream that came true.  So many victories over the last years, so many victories would tend to make things look a bit confused, and you don't really understand what's going on this year.

            So probably coming here, that's the reason why I didn't start the tournament well.  But I did improve in the second week and in the semifinal, and I've reached the final again here in Paris.  As I said before, maybe people expect too much ‑‑ we can all make mistakes, and we all need to realize what happened during this tournament.

            Q.  Would you say that the weather is going to have an influence on the match tomorrow?  What can you say about the weather tomorrow?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Well, I don't know more than you do.  I'll log on the Internet and look at the weather forecast.  I have no crystal balls to tell me what the weather's gonna be like.  If the conditions are very wet and if it's very hot, then it makes me think that the rain is going to come.

            If the weather is bad, well, we'll cope with it.  We are hoping it's not going to rain.  If it does rain, well, then we'll wait.

            Q.  When you are down in a game or in a set because of the weather, because of the rain, of the atmosphere which is very heavy, would you say that Federer is quite robust and can cope with the situation?  Would you say you're better than him at that?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  Well, to be honest, someone with 16 Grand Slams under his belt, having been No. 1 or No. 2 in the world for so many years, who is a holder of the records, thinking that he's not solid enough to cope with the conditions despite his talent, I think that's a big mistake.

            Even if a player plays very well, even he is an excellent player ‑ and he is such a player ‑ there are always problems.  He had to overcome many problems, many bad weather conditions.  So facing problems, overcoming problems, is what such great players can do.

            As for me, I'm used to fighting.  I've been able to cope with difficult conditions in the past, so I will fight too.

            Q.  Given the results between the two of you ‑ especially on clay ‑ and given the difficulties he has with your game, would you say you have an advantage from a mental standpoint?

            RAFAEL NADAL:  No, I don't think so.  I don't want to think about it anyway, because you walk on the court and you know that the other one can take the lead at any time because of his spectacular serve, that he can attack with very powerful first serves, that he can have winning returns with an exceptional quality.

            So I don't think that he has an advantage or that I have an advantage.  All I know is that I need to play my tennis, to play very well, to strike perfect shots each time, so that I can have all possible opportunities to win and make him realize that it's not gonna be easy to play against me.