Rafael Nadal - 3.27.08
An interview with:
RAFAEL NADAL

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. The top of the game looks as though it might be changing a little bit.
RAFAEL NADAL: What?

Q. The top the game looks as though it might be changing a little bit. Roger's lost three times. Novak is coming up. Andy Roddick played well and won in Dubai. Does this change your mentality or your mindset at all when these things are changing?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, did you see the race?

Q. Did I see the race?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah.

Q. Yes, of course.
RAFAEL NADAL: I think doesn't change too much, no? I think Djokovic is the No. 1 right now. Last year he was No. 3. And, well, we know he has a very big potential for being No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, any place, because he's very good player, no?
I am No. 2, so my position doesn't change. And Federer, he's 3, 4, 5, so he's not far away from the top. So I think doesn't change nothing, no? Roddick is still there, too, so for me not much changes.

Q. Are you happy that the clay court season is kicking off?
RAFAEL NADAL: Kicking off? Well, I am No. 2 in the race right now, and without playing any tournament on clay. So I am playing very good on hard court, too, so happy for that. For sure when I have the clay season for me it's little bit better, the clay.
But, anyway, the true is the clay season is very tough this year, no? We have four tournaments in a row straight, and that's impossible for us, no? So, it's going to be very, very difficult and very tough.

Q. What in Djokovic's game right now is so strong, that's making him so difficult to play?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, he's playing with confidence, no? He's a big player, but, for sure he's playing with very good confidence after his win in Australia, no
So, nothing special, no? He has a very good serve, and he's ‑ he has very good position inside the court, no? That's very important, I think. For that reason it's difficult to beat him right now, no?

Q. Serena was very excited to play against you on this water court, and were you excited to play Serena?
RAFAEL NADAL: Sure, it was nice feeling to be there in the water. So it's different, no? I never was doing something like this. Yes, was very happy for me to be there, no?

Q. And to have Serena there?
RAFAEL NADAL: Sure, Serena is a special player. Very strong player. I saw Serena when I was younger, and for me she is a very good player, so I'm very happy for play against her.

Q. You went up to the Polo Club a few days ago. Did you get on a horse?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. No, it can be scary, especially before the tournament. I was doing only one charity thing for Nalbandian exhibition, and you have to enjoy little bit there. He had some money for his foundation, so I'm happy for him.

Q. Have you ever played polo?
RAFAEL NADAL: I tried in Dubai some years ago.

Q. And?
RAFAEL NADAL: And difficult for me because I scared a little bit. I scared a little bit. I'm not very brave for these things, very courageous.

Q. Yesterday you seemed to be kind of overwhelmed by fans as you were on the practice courts, which you handled very well. Does the accessibility of the practice courts bother you, or do you like that the fans are able to get so close and watch you play?
RAFAEL NADAL: For me, it's good. No, for me it doesn't matter, and I think for the fans it's nice, if they come to a tournament, can go to the court and watch the practice of the players, no? So for me it's perfect.

Q. You said that Novak takes a very good position on the court. Do you mean that he plays inside the court quite a lot? And if so, is that something you've considered doing more yourself?
RAFAEL NADAL: Everyone have his style, no? So I have my style; he has his style. With my style I didn't have a bad results in the last years. For sure I always try to improve my game, and if I have to play more inside, I try to play more inside.
But for play more inside, you have to play ‑ when you are playing well, you can play inside. When you are not playing that well, you can't play like this, no, because you don't feel the ball perfect.
So right now he's playing very well. I played very good tournament in Indian Wells. I played terrible match against Djokovic in semifinals, but the rest matches were ‑‑ match before I was playing very well. So happy for my tournament.
Maybe I can change something more for try to play on hard. But, you know, when I am No. 2 in the race, in the last years I have very good results on hard, too. The true in my mind is thinking I'm not doing bad things for playing in this surface.

Q. Roger has had a difficult start to the season. Do you feel he's more vulnerable right now, or do you expect him to come back very hard?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, you know how difficult it is to play four years losing, three, four, matches, five in a row? Because if you are a player, you know that, no? So he didn't have a bad start of the year. He played semifinals in Australia. He played semifinals in Indian Wells.
He played in Dubai ‑‑ he has very bad luck because he played against Andy Murray in the first round, one of the top players of the world.
So I think any one day you have to lose some matches, no? But in a way it's very difficult to have the title that Roger have. It's not only the titles, it's the way when he win, no? You have to be always very strong mentally, and he do for the last years and he's still doing.
But the normal thing is lose any match, and maybe here, maybe in Monte‑Carlo, maybe in Rome, he's going to win another time. So you can't be every tournament and every moment at 100%.

Q. How are you feeling about how you're playing right now? What's it going to take for you to win this event
RAFAEL NADAL: I am fine, no? I have a good start of the season, so happy for that. Just try my best for continuing playing well. The only thing is I didn't win the title, not yet. But I have very good results, final in Chennai, semifinals in Australia, semifinals last week. So we are playing on hard surface. It's not a bad surface for me, but it's not my favorite. I am getting very good results, so I'm happy for that.
Every week I'm in there, quarterfinals, semifinals, final, so in any week I can win, I think.

Q. What is going to be your strongness (sic) on the clay?
RAFAEL NADAL: My tournaments. I going to play Davis Cup if the captain wants I come, and later I'm going to play in Monte‑Carlo, Barcelona, Rome, Hamburg, and Paris, I think. You never know because the calendar is very tough, you know.

Q. How do you feel about Hamburg moving to August and Madrid coming earlier in the season? Is that a good thing?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know nothing before about Hamburg. You have the official calendar for next year?

Q. Well, I understand it's going to be in August.
RAFAEL NADAL: I really wouldn't know.

Q. Okay.
RAFAEL NADAL: So I think we can't say nothing right now, because we don't know exactly what's going on. And it's going to be tough, I think. Anyway, it's tough to pull out one Masters Series like Hamburg. It's very tough for us to have the four weeks straight this year. Because I understand the Olympics is here, but I don't understand why this tournament is one week after. The true is I really don't understand. Because the last year was Acapulco, Indian Wells, Miami. This year it was Acapulco, Dubai, Indian Wells and Miami.
The thing is why we have to move this tournament and after we have to play? Well, we have two, three months on clay. I only can play four tournaments. Why you put four tournaments straight?
So that's very tough for the clay players. And, well, the top of the ATP have to think about that.

Q. When Hamburg was under threat, you came out in support of it, didn't you?
RAFAEL NADAL: What?

Q. You came out to support the Hamburg tournament when Hamburg was told it would be demoted. You and Roger, I think, came out in support of Hamburg. You still feel that way?
RAFAEL NADAL: For sure we support the classic tournaments. No, but, I really don't know what's going on so I can't say too much, no?

Q. In addition to tournaments, are you going to be planning on work more on your foundation this year that you just started?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, we are thinking about some things, but we don't know exactly yet, no? We are doing some things. My mother is the president of the foundation, so she's working on this. I don't want to do a lot of things, I just want to do some things.
But when I do something, be there. Because if I am not there, I am not ‑ well, I don't know exactly what they're doing. I have very good confidence with my mother.
But when he have something with the foundation I want to be there, and right now I don't have a lot of time. But when I have a chance, when I have time, I'm going to be there for work on the foundation.

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