THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 6, 2022

Rafael Nadal

Press Conference

R. NADAL/T. Fritz

3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Rafa, very tough match. Give us your thoughts on the match.

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, thank you.

Well, of course, emotional match. Important victory. Yeah, happy for that, and let's see.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. In the second set, your dad and your sister were seen gesticulating, telling you to get off Centre Court. I'd like to know was that telling you to get a medical timeout or quit the match?

RAFAEL NADAL: No, they told me I need to retire the match, yeah.

Well, I tried. For me was tough to retired in the middle of the match. Not easy even if I had that idea for such a long time.

But in the other hand, I did it a couple of times in my tennis career. Is something that I hate to do it. So I just keep trying, and that's it.

Q. Could you talk a bit about the injury, and are you hoping to properly recover before the next match? Is it possible?

RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. Yeah, tomorrow I going to have some more tests. But difficult to know. It's obvious that I am not the kind of player that I didn't have a lot of things in my tennis career, so I am used to have things and I am used to hold pain and to play with problems. Knowing that, when I feel something like I felt, that is because something is not going the proper way in abdominal, no?

But let's see. It's obvious that today is nothing new. I had these feelings for a couple of days. Without a doubt, today was the worst day. Have been an important increase of pain and limitation. And that's it, yeah.

I managed to win that match. Let's see what's going on tomorrow.

Q. Does not having played on grass in three years cause some kind of shock to your body in any sense that can bring on an injury like this?

RAFAEL NADAL: No, no. I don't feel that. By the way, I'm playing great. No, no, I am enjoying a lot. The level of tennis, if we put away the problems, something that's difficult, the level of tennis, the feeling that I am having with the ball on my hand is honestly great. I am feeling myself playing very well.

Yeah, worried now honestly, no? That's part of the business, too, no? Even if I did a lot of efforts to play this event in all ways, abdominal is not a thing that comes to play on grass. Can happen in any surface.

Q. Can you tell us when you went off with the trainer what they did for you. Were you at that point just playing on adrenaline and emotion to finish that match?

RAFAEL NADAL: They can't do much, honestly, no. Doctor came, give me some antiinflammatories. Well, antiinflammatories and analgesic, no? And that's it.

The physio just tried to relax a little bit the muscle there. But it's difficult. Nothing can be fixed when you have a thing like this. That's it.

No, I don't know. As I said before, I just wanted to give myself a chance. Not easy to leave the tournament. Not easy to leave Wimbledon, even if the pain was hard.

I don't know. I wanted to finish. Doesn't matter. Well, I prefer to win, with victory or defeat. That's what I did. I fighted. Proud about the fighting spirit and the way that I managed to be competitive under that conditions.

Q. We've seen this year especially you adapt your game because of your physical difficulties with your body. A few years ago do you think you might have lost today's match or given more consideration to retiring given how your game has now changed?

RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. Depending. I won because I played very good from the baseline. Of course, I didn't win because of the serve. It's obvious.

I have to say that I think unfortunately, or fortunately, I was able to manage, to improve, and to adapt to the circumstances that my body presents to me to keep being competitive under any circumstances, no?

I was able to improve my tennis depending on the needs. Something that I am happy with.

Q. In this moment, which are the chances that we can see you playing against Nick in the semifinals?

RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. Honestly, I can't give you a clear answer because if I gave you a clear answer and tomorrow another thing happens, I will be a liar (smiling).

Q. Is it something that you have to scan, to do something?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah. If I already decided something, I will not be here and do any show and say something that tomorrow I say another thing or not. If I am here, it's because I am honest and I don't have a decision.

The decision at the end - all the decisions - are the player decision, but at the same time I need to know different opinions and I need to check everything the proper way, no?

That is even something more important than win Wimbledon, that is the health. Let's see how this is going.