Day 14 - An interview with Rafael Nadal day 14 - Saturday, June 7, 2008 THE MODERATOR: Questions in English. Q. How are you preparing for what is a very important match? RAFAEL NADAL: The true? Nothing. I practice normal, like every day: one hour, and then a little bit more. Nothing special. For sure is important match, but the true is it's another match. The day before is same, like every day off. Q. You said you're very pleased with the way you've been playing during the tournament. Do you think you can continue that level of excellence? RAFAEL NADAL: I was very happy about my game yesterday, no? The other days I improving every day a little bit. That's important, always, playing better every day, no? I don't know tomorrow what can I do, no? I going to try my best, but every match is different. Q. I think the conventional wisdom is Roger is going to change up some tactics from prior years. I think yesterday he took some 60 some odd net approaches. What are you expecting tactically from him tomorrow? RAFAEL NADAL: (Spanish.) Well, I don't know what he going to do, no? When you play against Roger you can't imagine anything. He's a very complete player. He has all the shots, so everything can do. But I expect a very tough match, and for sure I think he going to try to play aggressive. Q. He said going out second yesterday he got to watch some of your match and sort of keep an eye on how you were playing and the score. Did you get to see any of him yesterday? RAFAEL NADAL: Of his match? Q. Yeah. RAFAEL NADAL: I saw a little bit, yes. Q. Bjorn Borg said Roger Federer change way of playing since last year. Do you think he's changing? RAFAEL NADAL: Ask him if he's changing, no? I don't know. I am not focus on Roger every match, no? It's difficult to say if he's changing or not, no? I think it's difficult to change lot of things when we are speaking about No. 1 by far the last four years. So when one player is almost perfect, it's very difficult to change a lot of things, no? Q. Do you feel any different from the last years before this final? Is anything different, or is everything the same all the years you go to the final? RAFAEL NADAL: Every year is different, no? That's the true. And I don't know. I very happy for be in final. You know, the day before I always a little bit nervous, but not -- every year different, but not very different in feelings. Similar. THE MODERATOR: Spanish questions. Q. A few minutes ago, Bjorn Borg was sitting in this room. We had a long press conference, and he said he was following you and your career, and that you were one of the players that gave him reasons to watch tournaments, to watch them on TV. Would you say you have great respect for Borg and these words have an impact on you? Is it encouraging for you? RAFAEL NADAL: Yes, it's always wonderful when a player like Borg says nice things about me. But as I said, I think I have great respect for many people in the world, especially for good people. And talking about tennis, of course I have great respect for Borg. How could it be otherwise? I don't know if he was the best player in the history of tennis, but when we talk about Borg, he seems to be somebody apart from the others. He also was one of the guys who brought many innovations to the game. He started playing topspin shots, and he brought many new things to the game. Q. Following on this question, he says that if somebody can win Wimbledon against Federer, he says you can. You played a beautiful final, and that you could have won. The match was very close. Other people would think that you're basically a clay court player. What would you say? RAFAEL NADAL: When people say positive things about you it's always good. It shows that you're doing something good. So I'd like to thank Borg for everything he says about me. Now, for those who think I'm just a clay player means that they're not watching the other tournaments. Q. Yesterday you said there is no such thing as a tactic in soccer. In basketball, players talk to their coach and they design a tactic. You say you have no tactics for a match as important as the one tomorrow, so that's quite surprising. RAFAEL NADAL: No, I'm not saying there is no tactic. I'm saying we all play the game we can play, and we play -- well, we play the way we can play. Now, of course I'm not saying there is no tactics. Of course you sometimes have to adapt your game to your opponent. I will probably try and attack him on his backhand, play longer shots, et cetera. But you don't want to be just focused on that, because that's also a means to lose a point. You want to take the lead and lead 3-1 so that he starts feeling uncomfortable. Tennis, it's different from a team sport. It's an individual sport, and things are easier because you're alone on the court. There are not many things that you need to invent, because it's quite simple as a sport. Q. You said you've not had time to follow Federer much along this season. RAFAEL NADAL: No, no, this is not what I said. What I said is that you thought that I watched all Federer's matches since the very first day, which is not the case. And I don't think he does the same for my matches. Of course we think about each other, but, you know, during the first round, my first concern was about [] Belucci or whoever I was to play during the first round. Q. What I wanted to say is, have you noticed that he changed something in his game on clay? Is he more patient? Is he more aggressive? RAFAEL NADAL: Each of us has tried to improve what he needs to improve, and most of the time people from the outside can't see that. But he is probably trying new things. He is trying new things and trying to go beyond what he usually does, but it's difficult to assess from the outside. Q. Who has evolved most on clay, Roger or you, over the last years? RAFAEL NADAL: It's difficult to say who has evolved most on clay. I think we both evolved quite a lot. We're both better, and we play better tennis than during the first final we played. This is something I'm pretty sure of. Now, each match is different. You know, there are moments when you're in great shape, moments when you don't play that well, moments when you play great, moments when you don't have much confidence. There are others when you have huge confidence, and the one who wins is the one who feels most comfortable on the very day, especially on clay. It all depends on your level that day. Anything can happen. Q. You were talking about your shots. Which of your shots are you most happy of this year? RAFAEL NADAL: Well, the first round I was not pretty satisfied with anything. Little by little I managed to gain control over my forehand. As to my backhand, I think I improved it match after match. For the rest I'm quite happy. I sometimes had to face difficult situations, especially on my serve. I'm quite good along the lines. Q. Do you feel you're the favorite? You're playing against No. 1, but you've won three times in a row, and this is your fourth final. RAFAEL NADAL: Oh, you like asking about who is the favorite. I don't feel I'm the favorite. I don't believe in favorites. I think the favorite is the one who can hold the trophy tomorrow, and then the rest doesn't matter. Who's a favorite? Him? Me? I don't care. Favorite is the one who will play better on the court tomorrow, and the rest are just words and words. I don't think there can be any favorite in such a final. 当回顾好了。XD 里头有提到Bjorn Borg说Nadal是促使他看网球的几位球员之一 Nadal很开心:P -- All come crashing down, your desperate icon. You've got to gob on, your desperate icon. You'll all come crashing in, your desperate icon You've got to gob on, your desperate icon. Am I a God or am I Jesus? Am I a man or am I a boy? Do I feel love or just possession? Do I feel holy or nothing at all? You can't deny, That your shit just tastes as sweet as mine. And you can't deny, That your shit just tastes as sweet as mine. Sweet Jesus. --

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