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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 5, 2018

Rafael Nadal

Wimbledon, London, England

R. NADAL/M. Kukushkin

6-4, 6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you talk about your reaction to the two time violation warnings that you received.
RAFAEL NADAL: No one reaction. That's normal. I was slow at that moment. You know, I know I had to take the wristband, T-shirt, banana out, change everything.

Probably I should go to toilet. If I go to the toilet, I had plenty of time to change everything without the time violation. I decided to stay on the chair.

Yeah, I was slow enough to receive a time violation. Yeah, I accepted. That's all. I think I was very quick during the match. Between sets I needed that time to change all these stuff because was a very humid day, that's all.

He could avoid, but he decided to make it, and I accept because, yeah, I was slow.

Q. You play Alex De Minaur next. Do you know much about him?
RAFAEL NADAL: I know him. He's good. He's young. He's dangerous. Good player. So let's see. Is a good challenge for me, too.

But have been a very positive match this afternoon. I am very happy the way that I played today. That's going to be a good energy to play the next round.

Q. The ball seems to be bouncing a bit more this year. How are you finding the courts?
RAFAEL NADAL: Guys, being honest, I can come here and say different things. I don't going to participate of this kind of thing that every year is the same questions about the court.

First time that I have been playing here was 2003. 2018, personally I don't see no one difference. I see the court exactly the same. One day's warm conditions, one day's raining. Of course, that creates an impact on the court. But creates an impact on the court on grass, on clay, on hard. Is something normal. With the weather conditions, the speed of the conditions changes.

The rest of the things, two possibilities: I am not having always a good feelings in terms of analyze what's going on on the court, or the court is the same because I don't see any difference.

Q. You were good when you were young on grass. You have always been good. Do you remember the feelings you had when you first played on grass? Was it, like, different feelings from playing on clay, for example?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yes, is a different story. I always liked to play on grass. Of course, probably for everybody is the most difficult surface because is the surface we play less in our career. For everybody is the same.

There is a couple of players, of course, that is less difficult because with the serve, if you have a big serve, then you have a big advantage because you can play the returns with more calm, and you win your serves normally without problems. Then in the returns you can play aggressive without being very much worried, no? That's a big advantage.

But normal players, for everybody, is the most difficult surface to adapt because we don't play very often. For me personally, when I have been healthy, I played well here.

Q. Yesterday Roger said for him footwork and balance are probably the most important skills that have made him successful on grass. What about for you? What do you think your most important skills have been that have made you successful when you've been successful on grass?
RAFAEL NADAL: For me is important the same, of course. The movements are important. I will let to him the serve because I saw a little bit his match yesterday. The average time when he won the serve is one minute and something else. That means the serve is important for him, too. That helps him.

For me personally, of course the movements is important to understand the surface, don't go against the surface. You have to play with the surface. Of course, for me is important to find the right timing because I am not a player that going to win the points with one shot. I need to find the timing, the balance between being aggressive but without being crazy.

Is just find the right way to avoid crazy risk, but at the same time you need to play aggressive. Is not a surface that you can play defensive. Playing defensive you will not have success. You need to play aggressive.

In my case, I need to play aggressive, but at the same time I need to find the right balance between unforced errors and wins.

Q. Can you clear up what happened at the start of the match. I believe you got a time violation before the match actually started.
RAFAEL NADAL: Before the match I had?

Q. Did that happen?
RAFAEL NADAL: Before? I received two time violations?

Q. That's what they reported.
RAFAEL NADAL: First news about that.

I don't know. But being honest, with the five minutes, that's because we have five minutes and one minute. I don't see a watch here. I don't see that countdown. It's more difficult for me to understand what's going on. In Australia and Roland Garros, we have the watch here that we can manage to be under control with the watch. Here we can't.

I believe that.

Q. You've tried to ask the umpire to be removed from matches previously.
RAFAEL NADAL: Sorry?

Q. The umpire in question, three years ago at the French Open you asked him not to be scheduled onto your matches. Would that be a consideration for you in the future?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. No problem with the umpire. I am nobody to say, I don't want him on my court. I just can ask if I believe that somebody's not doing the things fair with me or was not respectful for me, I just can ask if is possible to have another umpire. I can't say, I don't want this umpire. I say, If is possible, I prefer another umpire on my court.

Is something that happened in the past. Is not about Roland Garros. Is about what happened in Rio de Janeiro a couple years ago. For me personally was irrespectful [sic]. Not because of time violation. I can understand the time violations. I can't understand when I was wrong, I make a mistake, I put my shorts the other way. You cannot force me to change my shorts in front of everybody, you know. For me, that's not respectful. That was, One second (laughter), because I feel the pressure. We finish the match, so I don't need that (laughter).

That's all. Is not about the time. Is not about this kind of stuff. Is about the problem that I had with him in the past. It's about that bad moment. That's all.

No problems with him. I respect when I am slow, accept the warnings. I do my best to be quick. Sometimes I not good enough to be that quick. I need my time to think about what to do for the next point, that's all.

Q. Wimbledon are trying to reduce the amount of plastic that's being used throughout the tournament. Wondering if you had any thoughts of whether there needs to be a further decrease in the amount of plastic used to help save the ocean?
RAFAEL NADAL: 100% support on this. I am an ocean lover. All the things that we do to protect our beautiful planet are more than welcome. Well done for Wimbledon. Is something if everybody helps on that, will be a big help for the ocean, for the animals that live there, and at the same time for us that we eat what they eat. Is something that we need to fix.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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