WIMBLEDON
Date: 2008-06-28

WIMBLEDON

June 28, 2008

Rafael Nadal
LONDON, ENGLAND
R. NADAL/N. Kiefer
7-6, 6-2, 6-3

The Moderator Questions for Rafael Nadal.

Question First of two wins for Spain against Germany this weekend, you hope.
Rafael Nadal: Well, tomorrow is another history, no? Happy for my win, but tomorrow is very important.

Question You've said on the television you have the other Spanish players coming to your house tomorrow.
Rafael Nadal: Maybe.

Question When you play a singles match, what do you enjoy most about having just one other person out there on the field of play with you? What do you like most about this aspect of the competition?
Rafael Nadal: I like the competition in all aspects, no? I like to compete in everything. The tennis is a big competition because you play alone against another one, so is nice competition. And I love the competition in all aspects.

Question How much do you enjoy the mental side of going against just one other person and you're the only two people out there?
Rafael Nadal: The true, I never thought before something like this. I didn't thought, no? I don't know.
Try my best every point and try to be focused during all the match.

Question Were you struggling to see the ball near the end? How were you finding it?
Rafael Nadal: A little bit nervous, because for me was important finish the match. I had an unbelievable mistake with the volley, the forehand volley in the 5-1, and later he has a very good serve game.
And, well, lucky for me later I played a good game.

Question Was it hard to see?
Rafael Nadal: Little bit.

Question Your thoughts on the match tomorrow? Are you confident?
Rafael Nadal: About?

Question The football tomorrow, are you confident?
Rafael Nadal: If we are not confident right now with this team we never gonna be confident, no? For sure we are with the foots here, but gonna be tough.

Question You could have helped them with your win tonight.
Rafael Nadal: I don't think I gonna help nothing, but for sure tomorrow I gonna be supporting the Spanish team hundred percent, no?

Question What do you think about Andy Murray's progress so far? Is he looking fitter and stronger to you?
Rafael Nadal: No.

Question No different to previous years?
Rafael Nadal: I don't know. I don't think, no. I think Andy is a very good player. What do you think? Right now he's more in better performance than one month ago?

Question Looks he can go the distance now.
Rafael Nadal: Right now he's better form than two weeks ago? That's your opinion?

Question Possibly.
Rafael Nadal: I am not agree. I am not agree. I think Andy is very good player. He can win in every tournament because he has very good talent for do anything.
But I think here he's doing very well because he's in a very positive attitude. I saw him today play before my match, and he's all the time supporting himself.
Well, all the time in positive attitude, so for that reason he's doing well, not because he's more good performance physically or something like this.
I am not agree with that.

Question If you met him in the quarterfinal, would you be prepared to be the villain of Centre Court?
Rafael Nadal: Right now I am focused on fourth round. You can ask me after fourth round if I win.

Question Your routine before each point where you take a long time bouncing the ball, how important is that to you to take so much time and to set yourself?
Rafael Nadal: Depends of the moment. When I bounce the ball more times because I am not clear the option to do: serving to the T, serving outside, serving to the body, thinking a lot of times. So when I decide, I serve.

Question When you think back to your matches over the years with Roger Federer, you think about your differences in styles, how different is it, and what is so different between the two of you? You and Roger Federer, what are the biggest differences between the two of you?
Rafael Nadal: Well, I think he's more elegant player. I think he has more options to do on court. He can do everything: serve and volley; he can serve better than me; the forehand he can play, well, more aggressive than me. Probably the defensive shot I have little bit better than him.
But I think in the global, I think he's more complete than me in all aspects, no?

Question And what's similar, the same, or close to the same?
Rafael Nadal: I think we are very focused all the time, no? Because, well, he's doing better results than me in the last years. But both, we are doing very good results, no, winning or being in the final rounds in a lot of tournaments during the season, so that's very difficult. And both, I think we have a good mentality, no?