TENNIS 2014 ROLAND GARROS – 26th of May 2014. R. Nadal d. R. Ginepri 6-0, 6-3, 6-0. An interview with Rafael Nadal
Q. How does it feel to get the first one over with, Rafa?
RAFAEL NADAL: Good. I think I played after the first game that was not good, I played a solid first set. I start first six games of the second I didn’t play well, and he had a terrible game with the 3 All, a lot of mistakes. After that I think I started to play a little bit better again.
So in the third I finished the match playing not that good, so it was a solid start, happy for that.
Q. Last year the first couple of rounds for you were a bit tricky. Are you feeling kind of relieved or confident this time your first round was not like…
RAFAEL NADAL: I don’t know. Doesn’t matter, no? In the end it’s day by day not, it’s difficult to compare years, difficult to compare opponents.
Important thing is go on court, try your best every day, and try to improve a little bit in every practice day and every match day, and that’s what they did a lot of times during this tournament. That’s why I had that success, and I gonna try to do it this year.
I think I started a little bit better than last year, but still last year I arrived with a lot of victories on my shoulders, this year with a little bit less.
We’ll see. Important thing is that I am in second round. I won the first one. I have two days for practice, to keep doing the right things and to arrive on the second round hopefully ready to play well.
Q. This is not strictly related to Roland Garros, but how would you describe your relationship with your racquet?
RAFAEL NADAL: I know my racquet since a long time (smiling). No, that’s the best thing that I can say about my racquet is for some reason I am playing with this one.
It’s because I feel the racquet give me what I need for my game and is long, long time ago that I am playing with Babolat, since the age of 10 or 11, I don’t remember. Always Babolat did the best possible for me, trying to help me in what I really need.
I think is great to be part of a great company of Babolat and a great company in the world of tennis. I have a great relationship with them, and that makes the things a little bit easier.
Q. Some people were a bit surprised that you were scheduled on Suzanne Lenglen today. I was wondering if it made any difference to you. Were you expecting to play on Chatrier, or you didn’t really care?
RAFAEL NADAL: Doesn’t really matter a lot. Always playing Roland Garros is a pleasure for me, is a really honor, and is a special feeling. So all the memories at this place give me are unforgettable.
And doesn’t matter if it’s Chatrier or Lenglen or another court, be around here in Roland Garros always gonna be great. And I started in Lenglen this year, is a great court.
I am not sure, but probably next one I gonna play in Chatrier. That’s it.
Q. Can you tell us the whole process in Madrid, in Rome? Your confidence came back. You’re more competitive. Is it because you played quite a lot?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, Madrid is a Masters 1000, and I didn’t play that much until the final. I lost no set. I think I never played any long match until the final, so this is a tournament during which I didn’t spend that much time on the court.
But after Madrid and mostly after the two first rounds in Rome, which were very difficult with very difficult conditions, with a lot of wind, very cold, I think I started being what I used to be in the past and playing the way I used to play in the past.
My game was back, much better than during my first tournaments on clay. Had it been possible, had I been in a position to use my shots in Madrid or in Rome or in Barcelona, the process would have been far less complex for me.
And maybe I would come here with slightly more confidence. But I think the beginning of the season on clay was positive.
And with regards to my feelings here with regards to what other people tell me when they see me, watching, I think I’m fit, but you want to come to Paris having played well in the other tournaments.
Q. Coming back to Madrid, you said that Berdych was hitting his balls very high and that you had difficulties returning and you also complained about the sun, the lack of sun, about the cold.
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, it’s true. The sun, either you have too much of it or not enough of it. But when it’s very hot and there is not much wind, the court is much faster. That helps me quite a lot.
I’m not trying to find any excuses. That’s tennis. We want to talk about tennis. We are here because we love tennis. And when the ball does not go as far as I want it to go, I’m the only one to blame. Maybe it’s because at one stage I was not running fast enough or maybe I was not strong enough on my legs. Had I run faster, I would have had more time to position myself, to position my arm, and return better.
Of course I have ups and downs, just like any player, and we all have in this sport. But I also managed to play very good games in Rome. The matches were very difficult, but the conditions were nightmarish, really. It was very difficult to play in these conditions.
But after that, I think I played very well when I played Murray. There was less wind. The weather was slightly warmer. Against Dimitrov it was at night with wind. Not as cold as during my match against Simon, but I managed to return deeper. I was calmer. I could position myself much better on the court.
And when the ball arrived, I could return it not taking too many risks. I did that and I felt I could not attack, I managed to play safely and create some difficulties for my opponent.
It’s always very difficult to win against him, but I think I played well. Today it’s true that the court was very heavy. The balls were very heavy, very wet.
I had a question, why don’t they dry the court before we start playing? The court is soaked with water. Why don’t they do anything?
Well, anyway, there are moments when I played better today. Others when my let game was not all that good, when I couldn’t run as much as I should have. But that’s the way it is.
