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DAVIS CUP BY BNP PARIBAS WORLD GROUP FINAL: ARGENTINA v SPAINDecember 2, 2011Rafael NadalSEVILLE, SPAIN R. NADAL/J. Monaco THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please. Q. What difference does it make to your confidence when you go onto a clay court to play a match compared with a hard court indoors? RAFAEL NADAL: Well, you know, yeah, I have more time. You know, you have more time to think and you have more time to prepare the points. Sometimes you can hit a bad shot or two bad shots in a row, still in the point, and you can come back later. So I think that's one of my best things in clay. Hard indoor, if I hit one or two bad shots in a row, the point is done. So that's a big difference, no? This court give me a chance to play a little bit more relaxed, with a little bit more confidence. And at the same time, I think here on clay the movements are completely different. If I am well physically, I know well how to move here. And I think today I played a really solid match, and I'm very happy. Q. It appeared as though you settled straight back into your clay court game straightaway. Was there any transition at all for you, or did it feel immediately natural? RAFAEL NADAL: Nothing is natural, no? But I practiced three days in a row four hours. So is a lot of time on court. Morning and afternoon and another day three hours and yesterday less. I spend a lot of time on court, a lot of mental work to think what I have to do to play well on clay, and trying to adapt slowly with positive attitude. I think I did well. I arrive today with positive feelings even if, you know, always there is nerves before an important match like today for me. But the feeling was really positive. I started the match playing well, that's true. I was really happy. I'm really happy. It was a very important victory for me against a very tough opponent on clay, and I did well with fantastic score. So very happy for that. Sorry for him. He's one of my best friends, and I was in the locker room now talking with him. Just best of luck for him for the rest of the confrontation and for everything. Q. That was a great atmosphere in the stadium today. How much of a factor is that for you? RAFAEL NADAL: Well, atmosphere of this stadium is really unbelievable, no? With two great crowds, Argentinian, fantastic crowd, and the Spanish one that supported me a lot and supporting us a lot since the day we arrived here one week ago. So everything is really special. And play at home always is really, really special feeling. I'm very happy to start the confrontation like this, to put the first point for my team, for my country. Let's see now if David can finish today with a positive result for us and put us 2‑0 and put us at an advantage. Q. You love being in soccer crowds. The noise out there, that seemed almost like a soccer crowd. Is that the noiseiest you've ever played in? RAFAEL NADAL: No, I don't know if one is the noiseiest, but is a fantastic crowd. I love to play this kind of crowds, this kind of stadiums. And, yeah, I don't know if it was a football crowd but was really similar. The Argentinian crowd is really passionate. And, you know, the Spanish, when the Spanish see the Argentinian people like this, they start to support more and more. That's makes I think a fabulous atmosphere. THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish. Q. Did you imagine such an easy match, on the one hand, and on the other hand, what do you think was the mistake of Monaco and his strategy if there was a mistake on his strategy at all? RAFAEL NADAL: First of all, the result has been good. The match was not easy. I didn't expect anything. I just wanted to come out to the court, do my best, fight for the point, and hope to win. That's all I wanted. I personally never think about the results beforehand. I just want to be prepared to fight and against the adversity and to make sure that the match goes well. So you come out to the court and see what happens. I don't think Pico has made many mistakes. He can be‑‑ it was hard for him. I failed very little. In the first two sets I didn't make many mistakes. I don't remember, but I don't remember many mistakes. The court is slow, and when he came out to break the ball, he missed a little bit of shot to win. If he had a good shot, I had the feeling that the point was always under a fight, but when I took the initiative and I controlled the point, very often I managed to finish it. I don't think Pico did a bad match at all. It was more that I did a good job than he did a bad job. I'm very happy with the triumph, because it was a complex match. Monaco obviously has lost for a big difference, 6‑1, 6‑1, 6‑2. He has done a good job in Paris‑Bercy. He has done a good job in Valencia. At the beginning of the match, I thought it was going to be a very complex match. I was nervous when I came to the court and I thought it was going to be a really difficult one. At the end it was not difficult for me. I'm very happy. I'm sorry for him. I always wish the best for my friends. He's one of my best friends. It's a pity. Let us hope we get a second point today, and that would be a big advantage for all of us. Q. 19 consecutive victories in Davis Cup. You haven't lost one single set. This is the largest difference result in history. One of the fans was asking me, Are you human? And I ask you now, Are you human? RAFAEL NADAL: Last week I was almost dead, and now people think that I'm not human. I don't think we can dramatize or exaggerate things either way. I wasn't there last week, and I am human this week. I have done a solid game. I was mentally very well. I looked a little bit nervous at the beginning of the third set up two good sets, and at the beginning of the third set I was a bit nervous. Before I got nervous I had zero tactic mistakes and zero direction mistakes. Now I'm happy. At the beginning of the third set I failed a bit more. I started having more problems with shorter balls, and I thought I had to come forward a bit more, but that's what it is. The match has been very good for me. It's not that I needed it, because I felt good in the training. But this victory gives me a lot of confidence. For me, it's reason to be happy and to know the things are doing well and winning with this result. A complex rival such as Monaco, who is No. 26 in the world and the best player in clay and in fast court, and if I won against him, it means I've done a very complete game. Q. Can you tell us about the talk you had with Monaco in the dressing room. RAFAEL NADAL: No. I just went over to cheer him up, and I told him that‑‑ he said that I played really well, and I was with him and with David. He was getting a bit of a massage. And I just came over to cheer him up, because I think the defeat was going to be sad for him. So I wanted to talk to him. He hasn't played that bad as to get that result, but it's just that I have made very few mistakes. So I just went to the changing room to cheer him up a bit. But of course I didn't see him in a bad mood. He knew that it was because I have played especially well and not because he has played especially bad. Q. The result was very clear, but yesterday you were not feeling very well. You had a little bit of a muscle problem. Can you tell us about how it went, what happened yesterday? What have you done to get treatment or what is happening now? RAFAEL NADAL: No, I don't have any muscle problems. Now is not time to talk about this. When the tie is finished, I will talk to you. Now I'm just focused in the final. I have a lot of work to do, and I'm not going to worry about other matters. Everything is on track. I am feeling really well today. I'm very happy with the victory. I don't think I want to talk about this other matter now, or at least I don't want to. I'm sorry. Q. Your debut was against Czech Republic in 2004 and you won. In Argentina, in Mar del Plata, you were not there. It was indoor, in case you could go. As it is obvious, they made the right choice, but that team spirit, even if you don't go, you lost but you wore them off. With David you always support each other after so many years of fighting. RAFAEL NADAL: We are all good friends. We have a good, fantastic relationship. And when we are together, we have a great time. We have fun, and that always means that our performance is higher because of that. In our country, in Spain, there are so many players. So victory does not depend on one player. When one is in bad shape, the other one is there to defend the team. That always works, because I have very good high‑level colleagues. Q. When you walked in the court, did you think about your first triumph? And the second part of the question is they said that they wanted to wear you off in this match, thinking about Sunday. Have they managed to do so? Are you tired? RAFAEL NADAL: No, I am not tired. I have finished really well physically, no? I don't feel tired. I don't know. The memories from 2004 are always there. They are unforgettable memories for me. I was young, and I went through a very interesting experience in 2004 here, so it's unforgettable. I really enjoyed it then, but today, seven years later, I am back. The atmosphere is fabulous again. It's wonderful. We have won the first point. I'm happy. We have to go on. We have to try and win the second point. It will leave us to an advantage situation considerably, and it would be so good for us. It would allow the doubles tomorrow to play with more calm. It would be important for Feli and Verdasco tomorrow if we win tomorrow. So I'm just going to go and cheer David because it's more support in the court. Q. If the tie tomorrow ends up 2‑1, you will probably play against Del Potro on Sunday. He has a different game compared to Pico. How do you think the match on Sunday will be? RAFAEL NADAL: Juan Martin is a very complete player. He has all sorts of shots. As for mobility, he is worse than Pico, but regarding shots, he has more firm shots from both sides. He has a better serve. The court here is slow, and if we get to Sunday with 2‑1, that would be a very complex game for me. It would hopefully be complex for him, too. I will do my best. So the player who plays the best on Sunday will win. Q. How are you? RAFAEL NADAL: I'm very happy with this tie. I have managed to win the first point. I'm very happy. I played at a very good level, very high level. The first two sets I have failed very little at the beginning, and this has given me a lot of trust and self‑confidence. So I feel good. So I think I can do a good next match. So I feel very comfortable from the beginning. That's very good for me. And I have played without mistakes. So I feel really good. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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