Picture by Hatice of Australia
ass="postbody">Entrevista a Rafa ~ Interview with Rafa
Uploaded by gandaines on May 25, 2008
a Rafa fan from the Forum at Rafa's website www.rafaelnadal.com
Translation of the interview in the video provided by Rafa fans Ines and Bee. Thank you so much!
Fe: How are you?
Rafa: Fine
Fe: already recovered from that little injury
Rafa: Yes, it seems that is ok, I trained several days at a high level and I have hardly noticed anyting, I suppose that i have a little bit of fear, always at the beginning when you note a small twinge, as I start, at the beginning cautiously when running towards the backhand, but the truth that is I'm very glad.
Alex: Do You know when you're playing?
Rafa: I'll play tomorrow, on Monday, the third match
Alex: Can you pick your schedule, do they usually ask you or....?
Rafa: No, well, it depends on the tournament, yes I can pick myself, but they asked me my opinion. In Grand Slam it's complicated. I only asked not play on Sunday to take one more day to recover from the injury, and well, they gave me that, fortunately, but the hour depends on them
Fe: Today, we have been watching you in training, about 200 people there ... I do not know how you can concentrate Rafa, impressive
Rafa: nothing special, a normal training, one more, well, being a training before a tournament like this it is always a little bit special, and you start to feel a little bit of nerves, how you will feel the ball, how not ... but honestly I have been training quite well these days and now I am already waiting for tomorrow to see how the sensations are when I jump on to the court. The preview is positive
Alex: The preview is positive. We've you seen training with Tomeu-Salvá your partner and friend, today I imagine you will have only trained once, previously you have trained morning and afternoon .. How have you distributed it?
Rafa: Well, I arrived here on Thursday,I arrived in the afternoon and I trained after two and a half hours with Tomi, twice on Friday, one session in the morning and one in the afternoon. Saturday was the day I trained more, apart from this exhibition match we have, I woke up early and did half an hour with Tomeu, with my friend, just to get a bit of touch with the serve, with volley and a little bit of of hitting from the baseline, I had an hour with Tomi and then yes I played the exhibition match, set in the central court. So practically 2.40 hours.
Fe:Rafa, the first day you saw a totally different scenario, riding in a vintage car, we are seeing you now, what an experience, wasn't it?
Alex: Where did you go ?
Rafa We had a tour of Paris from the hotel to the club, but as it is quite central the scenery was quite nice, we went through quite emblematic sites of Paris and it was fun
Alex: a bit of show with the people or not?
Rafa: Man! the show because there were three policemen in front with motorcycles keeping the traffic out of the way, and simply for that, it's a show
Fe: Well we have to say that this year Roland Garros is celebrating it's 80th anniversary, and this was to commerate this era
Rafa: Nice, you ride in a car like that and, apart from being, comfortable, I was surprised, because it is a different experience. It is always nice to do or be able to do different things.
Alex: The last reference we have is yours in Hamburg where you played the last two matches of the best we may have seen from you in months, especially on clay before your maximum rivals
Rafa: They were tough matches, difficult , the semi-finals was a big match but I came out pretty well from the difficult situation, I was very well mentally, physically also, in the Final only when I had that problem, but mentally I overcame the difficult moments and that's always good to see that you're mentally prepared to overcome these.
Alex: The fact that you had to play with Djokovic a semifinals match, which was tough and 24 hours after having to play with Federer, cost you a lot, he is practically your maximum rival. What differences you note when you play against Federer or against Djokovic?
Rafa: Well it is different, they are different matches, with Federer we have many matches , 16, and with Djokovic a bit less and you always expect more surprises, you do not know how everything is going to go ... I came out with Djokovic to try a match without more rhythm than usual because if you're still playing rhythm he gets forward and he wins the position and covers the court very well. He started like a motorbike in the first three games I had practically no option to almost anything and the truth is that after I started the game slowed down a bit and he started to make mistakes that helped me. It was basic 3-0, 15-40 in the first set, I saved it there and finally ended up winning the match and taking the victory. But the truth is that it cost me, those two matches, one after another is complicated, especially after a match of the semi-finals, apart from the physical tiredness, it is mental tiredness rather than physical, I think
Fe: Rafa, talking of that mentality, having won in Hamburg like that, will help you here at Roland Garros?
Rafa: That if you want, I will tell you within a few hours, tomorrow. I will tell you if that it helps me or not (laughing) , but good, this you never know, every tournament is different, every situation is different, the court, the balls, are totally different, so the conditions are not comparable. But of course I prefer that situation to reach here than having lost in the second round
Fe: changing the topic that the news about Justine Henin, what do you think about her retiring?
Rafa: Respect, and I support her decision. Tennis is a tough sport , tough, both for women as for men, in men is a bit more difficult because although you are between the best you can go out in first round. Women usually have it better, they can go through the first rounds with a bit more ease. But, likely it is much stress, no?, every week knowing you have to be focused from the very first moment and sure she has been there for many years, although she is young and certainly if you are tired and you have lost the illusion or motivation to compete. There comes a moment when the head does not give you any more, what you have to do, if you're brave, as I think she has been, is to take a risk, go and live a new life, right? I think that if what she feels, is what she has to do.
Fe: We are looking for a new Queen and a new King at this Roland Garros, will be Rafa?
Alex: Rafa do you have any idea of your opponent tomorrow?
Rafa: yes well, the truth is no ..
Alex: Do you have seen him play?
Rafa: No, I have never seen him play, but I have heard reports in the locker-room and he is a rival who is very fit, he comes from winning three challengers in a row of 125,000. 50000, 75000, so apart from being a young rival, he has risen in recent weeks, and apart from being young that it is always a factor that helps to go out to the court with more self-confidence and with the illusion of novelty, because sure having won these past few weeks, he must have come here with some confidence, he has come through the qualifying rounds, so sure that he is playing at a high level. It is always difficult when you face a match that do not know anything of the rival and even more so if you know that he is a rival who is young and he is playing well. But well I'll go out to the court, trying to impose a high pace from the start, Try to impose my rhythm with the forehand, if I can, and from there to fight and see what happens
Fe: Rafa lastly, apart from you there are 21 more Spaniards who are going to play this Roland Garros What is your opinion of your colleagues? Can there be any surprises?
Rafa: Surprises, I think that whenever a Spaniard does so well in this tournament will never be a surprise and more talking about the players and my colleagues that I have, I think that anyone is prepared to make a great tournament here. Apart from being a claycourt that favors us because all of them have already achieved great results on claycourt and sure that their options are going to have to do a good tournament, Ojalá it will be like that
Fe: Ojala, thank you very much
Alex, Rafa Well, thank you so much for being with us, good luck
Rafa: Thank you, I need it
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Rafael Nadal Training. Hatice and Bel in Paris. This slideshow includes their pictures.
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Finding Tennis to Watch is So Terrible in USA
I provide these links, in case they will help you see some Roland Garros matches in the future.
Roland Garros live streaming
http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=12765&part=sports The schedule can be found at this link:
http://www.myp2p.eu/competition.php?competitionid=&part=sports&discipline=tennis I have posted it below.
I have never tried these links, but they are provided in case they work
www.watch-sports-live.com/watch-live-tennis-matches-online www.channelsurfing.net You can listen to the match I guess at the Roland Garros site where there is a Radio cast www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/multimedia/radio Also the score is given live at www.bet365.com/home and for countries except the USA you can watch live streaming at the bet365 site.
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Rafa in training at Roland Garros '08
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