Interview with Rafael Nadal
June 6, 2007

Q. One thing is at 5-3 in the first set, I remember that at a moment Carlos
hit a great wide forehand, killer, stroking, high forehand. Two points later
you did exactly the same replica, like it was like almost identical,
identical shot from high forehand from baseline. It was like almost
photocopy. And which made me think, as a technical thing, like, can we say
that it is a fact that maybe you worked together, or looked at each other's
game, or you watching his game can make it so resemblant. And the second
thing is, he tried to take many of his balls on his forehand, and you,
instead of hitting the backhand, he hit forehands. And he opened the forehand
court wide to you, and did you work --

THE MODERATOR: Okay, let him answer, let him answer.

RAFAEL NADAL: I answer the first one?


Q. Yes.

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, when, it is true we practice together. But that doesn't
matter, not the same like another match, no. Not special. If he have one
winner, I don't -- after two points, I have the same winner. But it's not --


Q. Stylewise.

RAFAEL NADAL: Style? But the style, he has his style. I have my style. No,
it's ten years difference. We wasn't practicing in the same school, so it's
not -- the style, I am left; he is right. It's not comparable in my opinion,
no. So he has his game; I have my game. Nothing. The game is totally
different. Whatever. We're friends, but the game is not the same.


Q. How amazing is it that in three years of playing here, you haven't lost
one match? How amazing do you think that is?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, happy for making semifinals for the third time. So good.
Yes, very happy about my game, especially after the first set. It was
important for me, because I am playing so much better, especially after the
first three rounds. And I am in semifinals, that is very good result for me.
And yes, I am. Now I am close to the finals, so I play my best against
Djokovic. It is a very, very tough match.


Q. Third set blowout, not a very good way to treat a friend, huh?

RAFAEL NADAL: What? Can you repeat?


Q. Not a very nice way to treat a friend as you call Moya.

RAFAEL NADAL: Not very nice? No, yes, no. I was speaking a little bit in the
locker room after, but nothing about the match. So, well, the match was
better for me, like than for him, that's for sure.

And I was just trying my best, no? We maybe begin the match with some shots
each other. But after that, I played a little bit better, and he had some
mistakes with the backhand, so that's easier for me later, no?

Anyway, he played a very good tournament. And I'm very happy for him, because
he's coming back in the top positions, and he's coming back to his best
level, no? So, semifinals in Hamburg, quarterfinals here, that's very good
results.


Q. Can you compare your form now to this time last year when you go into the
semifinals? Do you feel better?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, it's difficult have the comparisons always, because it's
another year, different situation. So not only have to compare it, I can say
I'm playing better this year than last year. But not -- not here. In all
tournaments, no, I improved a little bit my game, and I'm very happy for
that.

Now I'm feeling better on court, more comfortable. And I am here in
semifinals. But two days ago and today I play good matches. And I feel
better, because I feel I can play little bit different. I can play a little
bit more aggressive. I can play some defenses sometimes, but I can attack,
too. So that's a little bit advantage, than in preparation last year, huh?


Q. Big picture. How important is it to you to have another great player on
the tour like Roger? Would you prefer that he is here so you can find out how
good you are as a player? Or would you prefer that he didn't exist so you
could dominate tennis much the way he was before you came along?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, the second option better (laughing). But you never know,
if Roger's not here, another one. No, well, for me, always it's nice, and
always it's a special motivation to have another one better than you, no?
It's nice go on court every day and practice, and, you know, you can play so
much better than much better than what I am doing.

So, and that's the thing, Roger can do that. You know, he can play so much
better than the rest. So that's always very nice, because if you watch his
game, and after you go to practice, you can think more about the game, no? If
you are No. 1, and you don't feel no one better than you, always, my opinion,
have a good mentally for that, and always I want to improve, but it's easier
if you have a model.


Q. Next match you are playing Djokovic, if I'm not mistaken. What can you
tell us about his game, and what tactic are you going to use against him? You
already played with him in Miami, and I believe that he won.

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, in Indian Wells and Miami and Rome. Yeah, so, yes, he is
playing very, very good game, very good tennis, and he's the No. 3 in the
world in the race position this year, no? So he's doing very well.

And, well, very young, and he improve a lot this year. He has unbelievable
potential. I know I going to have a very tough match in the semifinals. But
the tactic is always the same: Play good. That's the better tactic, then you
can win, you know.


Q. Aggressive, I imagine?

RAFAEL NADAL: Play good. If you play good defending, if you play good
aggressive, play good. You play good, I can lose, but I'm going to have my
chances.


Q. That is what he said he's going to use against you, to be aggressive as
much as he can.

RAFAEL NADAL: Nice (laughing). I'm going to prepare tomorrow (laughing).


Q. Do you see him as being able to challenge you and Roger at the top, for
there to be three of you, rather than two of you, and then everyone else?

RAFAEL NADAL: Roger, me and Djokovic?


Q. At the moment there's Roger, you and everyone else. In the future could
there be a future of Novak?

RAFAEL NADAL: In the future, no. Right now, it's not just Djokovic, no? But
sure in the moment this year, me, Roger, and Djokovic, we have little bit
different of, if I am thinking, about the points, like those ones. If you
look a little bit in the race, maybe we have so much different about the
others.

But it's not three, no. If Roddick, one, going to come the grass; after, the
Har Tru, it's going to improve a lot, for sure. Davydenko is doing very well.
And Murray, he have really the lag, he have a lag because of the injury. But
he was doing very well before the injury. So when he comes back, he's going
to be another time in the best positions. Always, it's not easy to come back
after one injury. But he has unbelievable talent, too, no?

And more players. Not just our three.


Q. I know you just had a birthday. I'm wondering, as a two-time champion, do
you still feel young when you play here?

RAFAEL NADAL: Why not, no? I have turned 21 right now, so, yes. And now you
think Djokovic is the new one, and me not the new one, so just one year less
than me, no? So I have a lot of years here, left playing Roland Garros. It's
just the third year, no?

I have maybe this one is the fourth or five year, fifth year in the tour? I
don't know. Fifth? Yeah. 21, I'm five years, unbelievable. Very old. On the
tour, very old. But the age is not.


Q. Also, I wondered if you could tell us what you think was going on back
home during the match? Do you think people were torn? Their hearts were maybe
divided a little bit, seeing you play Carlos? If they were maybe quiet
watching? What do you think?

RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know, no. I really don't know. Carlos is a very nice
person, and the people loves him, no? And, well, I don't know about me. I
can't say nothing about me, but just someone wants to beat Carlos, someone's
me, I think. I don't know, 10%. I don't know the percentage.


Q. I think you're a little bit tired and not so strong at the end of Hamburg.
How long did it take you after Hamburg to feel better, more strong, and not
so tired? And how do you feel now?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, look my style. If you look, I was here on Tuesday?
Thursday? Yeah, Thursday. I just have three days at home, two, because one of
these days I have a TV spot in Barcelona and one presentation with Nike. And
I have Monday -- no, Monday, no, Tuesday, and Wednesday for be off at home.
But nothing else.

I am very happy for that now. Always is important. It's not much time, but
two days out of everything, tennis, that's important for refresh the mind.
And I am tired. Not right now. I was tired in Hamburg, because every day the
concentration, five weeks in a row. So it's not easy every day thinking about
the match, doing everything, thinking about the match. So it's not easy, no.

But well, after that tournament, after this tournament, I'm going to change
the place. That's important, too. Because you're fresh a little bit. You have
to improve another surface. And I am not tired about playing on clay, but
when you change the surface, always it's a little bit different. You change a
lot of the things, and you think about your game on that surface, and that
can help that for tired, no?


Q. Do you think that this tournament is looking very much like the 2006
tournament with you and Federer playing high, and Djokovic and Davydenko
forcing the situation? And do you think that you are as confident against
Federer if you get to the final both after your last loss on clay?

RAFAEL NADAL: I see the tournament, and I see the tournament -- four play in
the semifinals and four have chances for the end title, no? I don't think
about Roger, and I don't think about if I have chances against Roger to the
final, no? I know Roger is the best in the world, and Roger beat me last
time, so my opinion, he's the favorite for the tournament. But right now we
are four in the draw.


Q. Why do you think you're so superstitious?

RAFAEL NADAL: No. Can you repeat the question? You can change, because I'm
not very superstitious. Why? I put the bottles? And I always say that little
bit the ass is not superstitious. There's problems with that (laughing),
little bit bigger than usual.

But, no, yes, the socks is not superstitious. When I am playing, after this
style of shorts, not more large shorts, it's going to be easier. I'm going to
finish about the socks.

What? Nothing else, I think. What do you think? What more? Nothing else, huh?

The lines? The lines? No, the lines. Just on clay, because I like the white
line (laughing).


Q. You don't think you're superstitious?

RAFAEL NADAL: No, really, no. No, little bit. I am repeating a lot of things.
But no, no, no. If Moya go on my place and put the bottles outside, I can
continue in playing the match with the same -- with the same chances, I know
that. The bottles not going to give me a power for win, not one point, I
know. I am not stupid about that.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish.


Q. This was a match against Carlos that you played at the same level as the
final.

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, it's always different from what a standard match is. But
it was just a quarterfinal. And that's it. When I go on and play a match, I
think I'm playing my place in semifinal. And this is all I wanted to think
about. I didn't want to have more pressure on me. And the idea was to play my
quarterfinal and reach the semifinal.


Q. Were you happy?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yes, I started with some doubts. Some people made comments on
both of us, and it's true that we both speculated on how the other one would
play. But then I was very happy I could win the first set. And then the match
was totally different. At 1-Love in the second set, that was very important.
Then I served two aces, and this is when I think the match was totally for
me. I started being confident.

He started making mistakes with his backhand. I created the momentum of the
match, and I took points at decisive moments of the match. I knew I should
not base my game just on his backhand, because I knew that he would warm up
and start hitting burning shots. I knew I had to be careful about his
backhand.


Q. You both said at the beginning of the match, that you were opponents on
the court. But wasn't it difficult to defeat him 6-Love in the third set?

RAFAEL NADAL: No, not at all. It's not painful, not for him, not for me.
That's part of the game. Probably hurt him a bit to lose 6-Love in the third
set, but I think what was most painful was losing his quarterfinal in Roland
Garros.

And for me, I was just as happy as if I had won against anybody else, because
I'm reaching the semifinals. And reality, well, if I had lost, I'd be sad, as
if I would have been sad losing against anybody else. But, for sure, this is
the player I didn't want to lose to.


Q. What about your semifinal against Djokovic, whom you know well, and who is
rising at the moment?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I see him as a great player, as you do. He's a great
player. He has great confidence. I see him as a winner because he wins many
matches in difficult situations, like this year. And his potential is huge.
He has a great serve, which is a great advantage, and he is young, which is
also a great asset. He is a potential future No. 1.


Q. Federer-Nadal, Nadal-Federer, that's kind of a tradition. Do you reckon
that Djokovic-Nadal could become a traditional match in tennis?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I can't answer this question. All matches at this level
are good matches, especially when you have the top players playing each
other. And Djokovic is one of the top players at the moment. I'm No. 2, and
for him, I think he is 5th, 6th in the world, so it's going to be a very good
match.


Q. Given what we expected, you are very good friends, Carlos Moya and you. Do
you think it was difficult for him to lose like this, because you always try
and play your best level against a friend?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, we are very good friends, so we don't want to lie to each
other. We both know that we're playing a very important tournament for both
of us, so playing a very long and difficult match. Had we played this type of
match, we would have been very tired. This is a kind of match you need to
play in a final. But here, you know, when you play 6-3, 6-4, 6-0, that was a
straight victory. I realize it was probably a bit painful to him, but I
didn't want to overdue it on the court, and hugging him on the court.

We know each other, we have great confidence in each other, and we know that
well. We're just the same on the court. We're opponents and we're both
fighting for the same title.


Q. Could you come closer to the mic, because we need to record what you're
saying.

RAFAEL NADAL: Yes, yes, I know. It's always the same thing. And when you
broadcast it, I feel as if I have my head bent, and you don't give me the
mic. So I don't know where to sit, so I'm sitting back, and it's terrible. So
you'll need to provide me with a special rotating armchair.


Q. Third semifinal in a row. 2003, we had Argentineans in the semifinal. But
it is the first time since 2003 that we have nobody from Argentina. Do you
have an explanation for that?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, you know, an explanation? No, I have no specific
explanation. You know, there are ups and downs in tennis. So we had Cañas in
quarterfinal, Monaco. I don't think that Argentinians are going through a
particularly difficult time. Gaudio played Hewitt, and you know, some
tournaments, things turn out right. On others, they don't turn out that
right. And sometimes you reach the semifinals.


Q. Two things: How would you compare this game to the one you played against
Hewitt, and what you were talking about when you answered questions in
English, when you felt tired after Hamburg, and how you freshened up your
tennis after Hamburg?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, you probably didn't understand my answer in English, so
that probably why you ask me this question again (laughing). So what was your
first question?


Q. Do you think you've played better tennis than when you played against
Hewitt?

RAFAEL NADAL: No, no, no. Carlos is somebody I know very well, so we know
what to expect from each other. And it's true that I played very good tennis
today.

And your second question, I have no specific answer. I was a bit tired in
Hamburg, mentally speaking. I had been playing competitions at a very high
level for five weeks in a row. And, you know, you have a very tight schedule
when you play these tournaments. And when you've played five weeks in a row
Hamburg, Rome, then I played Federer. I played Federer on Thursday -- on
Wednesday. It was on Wednesday. Then on Monday, I had a commercial. I had to
shoot a commercial in Barcelona, and I had no time to rest. And well, you
have to pay the bill at one stage, you know.

I won't try and say this is an excuse to my defeats against Federer. Federer
was playing very well. But it's true I was a bit tired in Hamburg.

And, well, I said, that changing surface can sometimes help. So from here,
I'll go directly to play Queens. But the worst-case scenario would be for me
to lose the semifinal on Friday, then go straight to London and play Queens.

You know, it's a good thing to change surface. It's good to play on grass.
You have to change your game. And it's a tournament I usually play with a
very small pressure, because everybody knows it's very difficult to adapt
your game in two days. So you play, you're far more relaxed when you play.
And all you know is that you need to give your best and to hit your strokes
as fast as possible, so you have very little pressure. And you get all your
daily routine back. And all you need to do is adapt your game. I quite
enjoyed this change. I like practicing on grass. It's a totally different
feeling. Mentally speaking, it's good as well. It helps me not to be tired,
mentally tired all the time.

You understood me? Did I explain it well in Spanish now? Okay (laughing).


Q. Talking about the match today, the only difference we saw was against
Carlos Moya. You did not show your joy and happiness after you won points on
the court.

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, maybe, you know, when I'm playing somebody from Spain, I
don't like celebrating that much, unless the match becomes very difficult,
and then I can't control myself that much.

But, you know, this match, there was -- in this match there was no reason for
me to celebrate that much, apart from the first set when things were a bit
more tense. But the two other sets, I just played the match. I was just
playing and I had my great friend in front of me, and I was winning. So it
wouldn't have been nice for me to celebrate each time I won a point. And that
was it.


Q. We saw that Antonio Banderas was watching the game. I don't know if you
realized that, but you know that Moya played in a film with Santiago Segura,
so probably you could try to get in touch with Antonio.

RAFAEL NADAL: Yes, I started thinking about it. He came to see me in the
locker room. No, it's true. I couldn't see him in the crowd. But when I saw
him in the locker room, I was quite happy just seeing him coming to
congratulate us both. He is a very nice person, and I'm very happy I met him.


Q. That's your third Roland Garros tournament, and it's the end of your
second week. Do you have a feeling that this is something that you know
already, or do you still experience special feelings?

RAFAEL NADAL: No, no, no. Three years in a row, of course you have different
sensations and feelings each time. And the experience, having been through
that already, is helpful.


Q. Carlos Moya explained that one of the key factors to his defeat was the
wind, when he was playing against the wind, it was difficult to hit the
return, and vice versa. So wind was apparently a key factor to him. So was
there any bet between you concerning the match? And if 6-0 was the result of
a bet you had between you and him?

RAFAEL NADAL: No, I don't think the wind was a key factor. Of course there
was wind, and that was a bit of a problem to him. But it was also a bit of a
problem to me, because the ball bounces very high, and it was very windy. And
it's often the case