THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 25, 2022

Rafael Nadal

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Tell us how it feels to be back at Wimbledon.

RAFAEL NADAL: Good. Have been I think three years the last time. So, yeah, happy to be here. Been already almost a week here. So enjoying the fact to play on grass after such a long time. Always a challenge, the transition.

Yeah, is a daily work and that's what I doing.

Q. Could you give us an update on how your foot has been feeling. At the French Open you spoke about trying some new treatments to see if you could help the pain. Could you tell us about what you tried and how well it worked.

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, is obvious that if I am here, it's because things are going better. If not, I would not be here.

So quite happy about the things, how evolved. I can't be super happy because I don't know what can happen. But I only can speak about the feelings that I am having the last two weeks. There is a couple of things that are so important for me, no?

First of all, I can walk normal most of the days, almost every single day. That's for me the main issue. When I wake up, I don't have this pain that I was having for the last year and a half, so quite happy about that.

And second thing, practicing. I have been in overall better, honestly, no? Since the last two weeks, I didn't have not one day of these terrible days that I can't move at all. Of course, days better; days a little bit worst.

The feeling and overall feelings are positive, no, because I am in a positive way in terms of pain, and that's the main thing.

Q. Do you remember the first year when you came here that you really thought you can win this tournament? When was the first year and how do you see it this year?

RAFAEL NADAL: I think I came here in 2001 or '2 for the first time playing juniors, then in the professional was 2003.

I don't know. I can't remember 2003. I was focused on just try to improve and to win matches and improve my ranking, improve my level of tennis.

I never have been a guy to think that far, think I can win this or I can't win this. I was just trying to follow my day, day by day. I never had that crazy ambition. I mean, you are discovering the things and you follow your goals when you feel ready to achieve that goals.

In 2003, I never thought that I going to win Wimbledon or I going to have the chance to win Wimbledon, no? My goal at that point was just improve and be better and better to give myself a chance in the future years to be competitive, no? That's what I did. That's it.

Today different story. I had some success here. Is true that I didn't play here for a while. No matches, official matches, before the tournament going to start. So always is a challenge.

Comparing to other surfaces that you have to think a little bit more under control in terms of knowing what can happen. Even if every single time you go on court, you can lose, you can win. It's a little bit more predictable when you have the history in the weeks before, no?

Here is no history for me. I didn't play. It's a while without playing here. So, no, that's not bothering me. Just trying to keep following my daily work and just put myself in a position that find positive feelings to be competitive from the beginning and then let's see.

Q. If you reflect back to the first five, six months of the season, the fact that you have two Grand Slams so far this year, if you think back to January and the first round at the Australian Open, what your impression be of what you have been able to accomplish in those two major tournaments, especially with the challenge you had in the middle of the season with your foot and your ribs?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, past is past. Sport and life goes so quick, no? I am not a big fan of keep living on the things that you achieved because sport don't give you that time to keep thinking on the things that happened, no?

But is something that already happened. Is something that going to be in my museum for the rest of my life, so that's something that makes me feel proud of it, of course.

Last six months of 2021 haven't been easy. Even 2022, if I am able to have an amazing start of the season, haven't been easy at all, too, because I had a stress fracture on the rib, then my foot when I come back have been, yeah, I will never say a drama because drama are other things on life. Without a doubt, we are only playing tennis.

But in terms of daily suffering have been tough in terms of every day going on court without knowing if I going to be able to finish the practice the proper way or even finish the match the proper way. That's tough to accept.

But in general terms have been an amazing, positive six months in terms of tennis results. Yeah, I enjoy it because have been unexpected.

But now is the moment to keep going, no, if I am able to be better with my body. Main thing for me is keep enjoying my daily work and my day by day playing tennis.

Q. It's the first time in 24 years that Roger is not playing when a Wimbledon takes place.

RAFAEL NADAL: 24?

Q. 24 years.

RAFAEL NADAL: Roger is not playing? So he played 23 years in a row? What you mean? Can you say again?

Q. '98 was the last time he didn't play here.

RAFAEL NADAL: So Roger played here '98?

Q. Juniors.

RAFAEL NADAL: Okay.

Q. Could you talk about the influence he's had on you and your career and how your relationship has evolved.

RAFAEL NADAL: I mean, we shared lot of important things together, no? I think in some way all the things that we achieved, difficult in some way to think in the tennis the last 15, 20 years without thinking about the rivalry that we have because we have been playing in every big stadium, not in New York, that's the only thing that bothers me a little bit, that we never played in New York. But in the rest of the most important events of the world, we shared court, fighting for the most important things.

I think in some way we push each other. When you have somebody very good in front - I can talk about myself - I always wanted to think that my motivation never comes to me because of the others, just it's a personal motivation. But, of course, have somebody like him, like a rival, that he's amazing good, helps you to let you know the things that you have to do to be better.

In some way it's easier to have a way to improve when you have an example in front that is better than you, for not always but lot of times (smiling).

That's it. And our relationship have been I think always very positive, very friendly. Even our rivalry on court never bother our relationship outside of the court.

Q. I was wondering, back on your foot, is it a case of still day by day?

RAFAEL NADAL: Say again.

Q. The foot, with your foot injury, the process you had after Roland Garros, the treatment, does that give you any guarantee for how long it's going to keep it pain-free or you wake up every morning seeing how it feels still?

RAFAEL NADAL: I going to be talking with my foot today and not anymore, if is fine for you guys. I have been always very open. We cannot be talking about my foot every single day. If not, we forget the most important thing: that is tennis.

I can't tell you (smiling). I don't have experience on that. Something new. I didn't try it. I can't tell you if I going to be in that positive moment for one week, for two days, or for three months.

Of course, the treatment that I did didn't fix my injury, not improving my injury at all, but can take out a little bit the pain. That's the main goal.

Sometimes the things in the medical world, mathematics is not predictable 100%. But in theory that can help the foot because is about the nerve. You touch the nerve, so then the nerves is like asleep in some way for a while, but then recovers. So how long the nerve is going to be that way, I can't tell you. It's something that we need to discover. But that's it.

My life, it's very clear: I have a lot of problems in my life in terms of injury. I am not thinking every day going on court, when I am okay, I feel even if I have some pain but I don't have limitation, I am not going on court thinking, Okay, how I going to be today? No, I am positive. I think I'm going to be fine. Then if something goes wrong, we need to accept it.

You can't compete and be thinking all the time if that happens, if the pain come back, because then you are not focused on what you have to do.

So I think I was good managing that during all my tennis career. That's it. I am not negative on that.

Today I feel good. Happy for that. Honestly, I feel happy because the toughest thing when you have too much pain, not playing tennis. Tennis is the second part of your life. Probably the most toughest part is having pain on your life on a daily basis. If you don't have pain outside of the tennis, it's fine. Maybe you don't play tennis.

But the problem that I have is I have pain walking every single day. That sometimes affects you to your happiness and in some way the positive and how the attitude is not that positive all the time.

That's all. Positive now. Let's see what can happen in the future.