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INTERNAZIONALI BNL D'ITALIA (MEN)

May 13, 2007

Rafael Nadal

ROME, ITALY

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You don't be afraid to be pleasant of the victory on the clay? Be honest, to be disagreeable. ( In Italian)
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know, no? I just (in Spanish) I think that people like you if you're nice with them, doesn't depend if you win or lose.

Q. It's a job, of course.
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I know.

Q. Complimente. First set, set point you play serve and volley. Have you ever done that before in a set point?
RAFAEL NADAL: I'm thinking about Wimbledon, so... (laughter)

Q. How much has yesterday's match taken out of you physically? When you practiced this morning, how did you feel?
RAFAEL NADAL: Not very good.

Q. Not very good?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. Physically, it was fine, no problems. Better than when I was thinking yesterday today, but I was very tired a little bit. I had very tired.
I go to the court and I stop two times in the practice and I just practice -- normally I have one hour practice and today I practice fifteen minutes, twenty minutes.
So I was a little bit tired, But prepare. I was a little bit dressed, I was a little bit cold shower. After that I feel a little bit better. I arrive to the court for sure a little bit tired, no?
I was thinking I don't know how I going to feel in the match, before the match. But just trying to arrive to the court with the best chances, and I try to play with the big concentration.
My special goal today was playing a little bit more aggressive than yesterday. And if González take the control of a lot of point it's very difficult, his forehand, so I try to return the ball and be more aggressive. It was important for me, that. And he has some mistakes, which help me a lot.

Q. Did you expect a tougher match in González?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, when you go to the court in final you don't think about win 6-2, 6-2, for sure. But González, I don't know how he say after the match, but I think he go on court trying to play a lot of aggressive, no? Too much, in my opinion.
So I was playing long, so it was difficult play very aggressive. If you play long (in Spanish) Deep, if you play deep it's not easy to play very, very aggressive, and González try to play very aggressive all time.

Q. Do you think Davydenko is the most dangerous opponent for you in the clay season, even thinking about Paris, or not, or still Federer?
RAFAEL NADAL: Still everyone. Still when you go on court every match is different, no? I don't know if I play the same like I play yesterday, the same level than when I was playing Djokovic.
Maybe I going to have more chances than yesterday. So every match and every -- I say the same always, no? But that's true. I think that. Every match and every tournament and every player is different.
So you play 100 percent every day for try to win, and sometimes you find one player that, well, the game of the other player is not easy for you and someone is easier. So every match is difficult, no? It's no one match is...

Q. What do you think about Federer and Tony Roach? Federer fire Tony Roach?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't think nothing because I don't know nothing.

Q. He's not working anymore with Roach.
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, but I don't know the reason. So if I don't know the reason I can't say nothing. That's true, no? I know why. But you don't know if Tony is tired or Roger is a little bit tired. So sometimes things happen.
But Roger and Tony, I think they have very good relation so it's not a problem. Roger had unbelievable results with Tony the last three years, so I don't know the reason. I can't say nothing.

Q. All the Masters Series now are played best-of-three. Do you think that best-of-five sets will be even better for you?
RAFAEL NADAL: Right now I don't know, because I won two finals, three finals, so that's good. But I always think best-of-five I have a little bit more chances, especially on clay. Also in other places.

Q. In each tournament you beat a new record. In this tournament two records. McEnroe and then three times winner in Rome nobody has done. Which is the next record you're thinking about, if there is any record you think about?
RAFAEL NADAL: You say me something new?

Q. Yeah. Chris Evert is able to win five times in Rome. You have to look in the women now.
RAFAEL NADAL: That's in the women. No, I don't know. Just trying to continue like this. Very happy with my game the last two months. I was playing my best tennis.
I think I am in the best moment in my career, playing better than never, so very happy for that. Very, very happy.
I work very hard the last year and, well, when you work hard it's important someday feeling like this.

Q. You say, I am tired. So do you go to Hamburg?
RAFAEL NADAL: Tomorrow morning, yeah.

Q. Do you know the draw in Hamburg?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I play against (indiscernible), Benjamin Becker.

Q. Yesterday you were very happy after winning Davydenko, maybe like a final, because you know that the way of playing of González was easier for you?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, no, for sure not. I lost last time against González. Well, I wasn't feeling my best physically in Australia when I play against him, but the true is he's a very good player.
I was very happy yesterday after the victory because I play a very, very nice match, very emotional match, and I was very close to lose.
In the end I was very, very happy. But I don't know if today I going to lose, so very happy to play another final here.

Q. Which recharge battery do you use to be fit one day after a three-hour match?
RAFAEL NADAL: Now I connect after one hour.

Q. Before I heard something about story about bottle, about how you arrange the bottle on the court. Are you perhaps a little bit superstitious?
RAFAEL NADAL: The true is not much, no? But I'm doing sometimes something like this. I don't know, sometimes I forget for some tournaments after I come back.
Well, I don't know, but I am working for pull out that things, so soon you going to be improving.

Q. You won three finals here. Which one in which order you will remember them? What difference any mean? Okay, five hours Coria, Federer, this one. In which ranking will you remember these three finals?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, here in Rome is one -- I play here the two finals more unbelievable, no? Two more emotional finals for me for sure, winning Roland Garros too and winning Monte-Carlo and winning Barcelona.
Every place is very important, but here I win two finals when I was losing 4-1 in the fifth set, playing more than five hours. It was in the top, top.

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