TENNIS Mutua Madrid Open 2014 – K. Nishikori d. D. Ferrer 7-6, 5-7, 6-3. An interview with David Ferrer.
Q. I just wanted to say it was a great match. We really enjoyed it.
DAVID FERRER: I played very good in important moments. The first set I think it was better than the other two.
And nothing else, no? Congratulations to Kei for his win.
Q. Even though you lost, the fact that you went to the tenth match point, is that something positive for you in order for the next clay season, for the fact that you’ve been playing really well?
DAVID FERRER: No, no, not because of that. Now I’m hurt because I’ve lost a really tough match. I had my opportunities too, especially in the first set.
I played three bad points, and the other one, the break, I did that myself. He played at a really high level. I think I let him go up in the first set.
Tomorrow I’ll see it another way. I’ll be more positive. Not because I’ve been there, because I made to the to the semifinals and had good feelings here. It hurts me not being able to be in the final tomorrow.
Q. Some colleagues have said that perhaps it’s the best match of the year because the intensity and how you’ve been playing.
DAVID FERRER: Well, I don’t know. You know, perhaps the best one, not really. But the most intense, yeah. When you play at home, there is more crowd.
Even though you’re losing you’re having fun out there on the court because of the people. So perhaps because of that, well, yeah, you still are ambitious to keep on playing tennis.
Just because you’re playing on center courts and they want to see you running. Perhaps not my best match. Perhaps that was in Monte Carlo when I played against Dimitrov, or with Rafa, too.
You know, that match was completely different. The match of Isner was complete. It was completely different, but complete on my side.
It was not a bad match, especially in the third set. It was a very intense set.
Q. Maybe the final of Roland Garros is going to repeat. Nishikori has won. How do you see him?
DAVID FERRER: Well, yeah, Nishikori has gone a step ahead in quality. He has beaten good people, and now he has consolidated his play with a lot of talent. He runs the ball really well. This year, maybe he’s going to go a step ahead this year. I think he’ll be in the top 10 and probably go for another Masters.
Q. Do you think that one of the keys was the long rallies that you were playing with your backhand? Perhaps Nishikori was a little bit superior to you in the backhand.
DAVID FERRER: Well, maybe. There was tough moments out there because I didn’t have the initiative in some moments. Perhaps I should have played a little bit more with my backhand with my forehand, too.
It was a really close match. The third set, it was just couple details. I had a couple break points and I didn’t go for them. On my serve, I didn’t play so well. I paid for it.
I think it’s a match that could have gone also on my side. It was just the small details that decided it.
Q. In the epic final set when it was going advantage, deuce, advantage, deuce, it looked like mentally Nishikori was losing it. When he was at deuce he was able to get a point; when he got to advantage he seemed to not be able to win the match. Did you feel at any point you could rescue the game back?
DAVID FERRER: I was focus all the points. I tried to do my best in the last game, of course. Well, it’s normal when the tennis player have chance to win the match, always we are nervous, no?
Nishikori in important moments was nervous. And me, I played aggressive. But anyway, in important moments Kei also serve good. He did a lot of points with his serve in the break points down.
