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BARCLAYS ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS

November 22, 2010

Rafael Nadal

LONDON, ENGLAND

R. NADAL/A. Roddick
3-6, 7-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You were down a set and a break. Did you change anything to be able to come back?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. I was a little bit lucky tonight. That's the true. But at the same time, you know, I started the match a little bit nervous. Five weeks without play. Playing against the best players of the world in the more difficult surface for me, the first match will always be difficult, no?
The first game was very important when I had the 15-40. If I had this break, probably I was able to play with more calm the next games, even if I have a bad game with my serve. Still the match equal.
Yeah, is something normal that I started the match when I served for the first time, and I was having too many, to many mistakes at the beginning.

Q. You said that you started very nervous. But you caught a rhythm at the end. What do you expect for the next match? Djokovic is in good form.
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, he's playing fantastic, I think. He played a great match this afternoon. Yeah, is going to be really difficult match for me. I have to improve a lot if I really want to have chances to win.
Positive thing is I started the match playing bad or so-so, and I finished the match playing much better. So always that's good for the mentality, for the feeling, for everything, no?
Finally win a match here is very important for me. I can play with a little bit more calm the next match. But even if I lose the next match, I still gonna have chances to be in the semis. So that's relaxing me a little bit more.
I have to play very well after tomorrow. So, yeah, that's what I gonna try, no? Play very well. Like I say, I gonna have chances.

Q. Andy mentioned two points in the tiebreaker in particular that he thought the match turned on. One of them was a serve that you got back in play. Do you have recollection of that? Do you think in terms of specific points like that?
RAFAEL NADAL: If I remember the points of the match?

Q. The one point in particular.
RAFAEL NADAL: In what?

Q. In the tiebreaker.
RAFAEL NADAL: What point was that? Second point? I won my first. The third point maybe because I won the first one, I lost the second. With 1-1 I had a good return with powerful serve of him.
Was an important point because I had mini break. After that, I lost the next two serves, so finally wasn't a key point.

Q. You just spoke about the fact that you hadn't won a match over here. Was that on your mind when you went out to play, that you hadn't won a set or match at the tournament here in London?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, little bit, sure. When you start a tournament like this one that you play against the best players of the world, I said before, in the more difficult conditions for me, is the last part of the season that I normally never played my best tennis. So is something that is still in your mind.
But I say before. Is very positive victory for me and very, very important.
Right now I have to play better. I have to play with a little bit more energy. I have to play with a little bit more positive attitude. That's what I have to do tomorrow, have a good practice and wait for after tomorrow play a very good match.

Q. Do you think going a set behind, a break behind allowed you to relax and play better tennis, or was it that you spent more time on the court, or was it your nerves?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, no. He had one double-fault in the 3-All when he has the break. And after he had one mistake with his forehand or backhand in the breakpoint.
So was two very important points because with set and 2-1 against one player like Andy Roddick is very difficult to come back on the match. But it happened today. And the positive thing is I was there to get the opportunity, and I did finally, no?
I think when I came back to the match, I was very happy, no, because it was hard to start a tournament losing 6-3, 6-4, without many chances. I was happy because I say, Right now I have an opportunity and I have to be here and I have to fight and I have to play a little bit better because Andy give me one chance.

Q. Rafael, when you're playing the match like today, Roddick was a set up, a break up, are you thinking, I can lose, or you go point by point?
RAFAEL NADAL: I say, I think I am very close to lose, that's true. I am in critic situation right now when I lost my serve because that's the normal thing. You play against one of the best servers of the world, I wasn't feeling very well on court, and I just have what I can do is try to keep playing with positive attitude, try to play a little bit better, and wait the chance.
It happened. For that reason, I am here today for the victory.

Q. You just came back from injuries. How do you live this period when you have to stop playing in competition? Do you live it better now with experience or is it always very hard to be just out?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. Well, I didn't have an important injury, no. I had a little bit of tendonitis on the shoulder. But I only had to stop for practice just a few days. But was a little bit of risk about being worst if I played in Paris. So I decided to not play. Was a hard decision.
But if I want to be healthy here and trying to be in good conditions here, I think I had to take this decision, no? So I did. The experience for sure is important point when you have to stop and to come back. But even I think I have very good experience. When I started the match tonight, I was very nervous. Sometimes the experience doesn't work very well, and at the same time is a good news that you still be very nervous to play the match because you're motivation is still very high, no?

End of FastScripts

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