Rafa #Nadal pre-tournament press conference in Doha
(Transcript)
![Photo : RAFA IS BACK, READY FOR “NEW CHALLENGE”
Rafael Nadal is back, healthy and ready to make his ATP World Tour comeback at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, where he is the defending champion.
“[I’m] just happy to be in Doha again,” said the Spaniard on Sunday. “New season start, so for me it's a new challenge and new motivation.”
“At the end, as many matches as I can play, [the] more help [it] will be for me,” admitted Nadal. “I need time [to] improve, but that's normal.”
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“You never know in the world of sport,” said Nadal, when asked about the possibility of retaining his title. “If I am able to play [a] couple of matches and to win a couple of matches, then probably the feeling will be different for me, and I will feel that I will be more ready for everything. But this is [a] tough tournament. A lot of good players [are] in the draw.”
Looking ahead to 2015, Nadal said he has the same goals “like every year.”
“My goal is try to be competitive in every tournament that I’m going to play,” he said. “It's normal that I'm going to need some time. But I'm happy; I'm practising well and working very hard. I'm doing the right things with the right attitude.
“I hope to be ready to compete here, and then if I am able to spend some time on court, every moment on court will help me [and] will be positive for my future. [I’m] going to try to play the best tournament possible.”
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THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. I hope you're feeling physically good. Can you describe to us how you feel now?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, just happy to be in Doha again. New season start, so for me it's a new challenge and new motivation. I started last week in Abu Dhabi. It was positive for me there playing and practicing a few days. It was a good help, and as usual, you know, the comebacks, at the beginning the feelings are not the best. At the beginning you need to suffer a little bit on court. You need to remember all the things that you make it well in the past to have success, and with hard work of every day, try to improve a little bit every day to find the rhythm, to find the way that you really want to play.
All these kind of things needs to go all the way but step by step, because at the end I don't want to arrive here and gonna play my best tennis. I know that and probably everybody knows that after ‑‑it doesn't matter if I play in Beijing and play in Basel. That's not like playing for me. It was nothing. Since Wimbledon I count like since Wimbledon I didn't play. It was long time again, so I need this period of time of face the competition and to the high level of tennis.
Q. You're experienced in starting the new season slowly. You have done that before. Is that a help to you to have that experience so that you can keep your spirits high as well improve physically?
RAFAEL NADAL: At the end, that's in a sport that the experience helps, but if you're not hitting the ball well and you're not moving well, doesn't matter how much experience you have. If the opponent hit the ball faster, more quicker, doesn't matter if you have more experience than the opponent, no?
That's in a sport that you have to be quick, you have to be dynamic, you have to play with no mistakes, and that's the things that I need to do to have success again.
Every feeling is new, every year is new. Experience can help you in some moments, but in general, every year there is new feelings and new things that you have to learn to try to keep doing well.
Q. We didn't see you on court for official tournament since Basel in October, so you're back here for an official tournament in Doha. What are your goals for 2015?
RAFAEL NADAL: The same ones like every year. No, no, it's not like ‑‑no new things for me, no? My goals is try to be competitive in every tournament that I gonna play. I know that to be competitive in every tournament I gonna play, hopefully not much, but I gonna need small period of time, I hope, hope will be small, because, as I said before, it's difficult to be back playing against the best players, compete well from beginning is something that almost never happened.
So I gonna try to make it as quick as possible, but it's normal that I'm going to need some time. But I'm happy I'm practicing well and working very hard. I'm doing the right things with the right attitude.
I hope to be ready to compete here, and then if I am able to spend some time on court, every moment on court will help me, will be positive for my future, and for sure I gonna try to play the best tournament possible.
Q. Given how much time you have had off, what would you be satisfied with this week? Is it more important for you to have match time? Is a result relevant for you this week?
RAFAEL NADAL: The result is the sport at the end, no? The result is the life. That's the real thing. But at the end, for me, as many matches as I can play, more help will be for me. So will be every match today means a lot and will be very important.
If I'm able to win couple of matches will be fantastic for me to play some matches, and then a week of practice before Australia can help me. But if not, I am ready to accept everything, to accept that I gonna need time and I gonna need to play with my best attitude possible to be competitive.
Seriously, I happy the way that I am. I need time prove, I know that, but that's normal. But in general I think I am not that bad. I hope to be competitive soon.
Q. At the end of last season and again last week you said that the most important thing for you to be competitive mentally is to get back your competitive spirit. Can you say how close you are to that or if you feel competitive and ready at this moment?
RAFAEL NADAL: Doesn't matter what I am feeling, no? Is what the opponents feels. At the end, I can feel myself competitive, but if the opponents feels that I'm not competitive and they beat me, will be that I'm not ready yet, no?
So we will see. Every match will be a test for me. Every moment will help, as I said before. And I have the mental spirit I always had, the mental spirit competitive, no? So now I need to recover the tennis, I need to recover the movements. All these kind of things that only the competition can give, you know.
So I think I'm ready mentally to work for it, and I am doing. And seriously I think the work I did in Majorca was important. The work I am doing here will be important for the future, too. I happy how I am.
I play doubles tomorrow. Every moment that I gonna spend on court will be important, and then singles on Tuesday. We will see.
Q. We have seen you winning the title last season for the first time. Can we see Rafa doing it for the second time in a row this year?
RAFAEL NADAL: Is not the ideal situation to do it again, but that's a reality. You never know in the world of sport. The things change quick. If I am able to play couple of matches and to win a couple of matches, then probably the feeling will be different for me and I will feel that I will be more ready for everything. But this is tough tournament, a lot of good players in the draw.
The people remember my comeback of 2013, but the truth is I came back in a perfect situation for me and perfect conditions for me, not playing on hard conditions, on clay, 250 tournaments, better and possible for my recover my feelings, no?
Today is a different story. The tournament is different. The surface is different. Is difficult to imagine something like happened few years ago.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
(Transcript)
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. I hope you're feeling physically good. Can you describe to us how you feel now?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, just happy to be in Doha again. New season start, so for me it's a new challenge and new motivation. I started last week in Abu Dhabi. It was positive for me there playing and practicing a few days. It was a good help, and as usual, you know, the comebacks, at the beginning the feelings are not the best. At the beginning you need to suffer a little bit on court. You need to remember all the things that you make it well in the past to have success, and with hard work of every day, try to improve a little bit every day to find the rhythm, to find the way that you really want to play.
All these kind of things needs to go all the way but step by step, because at the end I don't want to arrive here and gonna play my best tennis. I know that and probably everybody knows that after ‑‑it doesn't matter if I play in Beijing and play in Basel. That's not like playing for me. It was nothing. Since Wimbledon I count like since Wimbledon I didn't play. It was long time again, so I need this period of time of face the competition and to the high level of tennis.
Q. You're experienced in starting the new season slowly. You have done that before. Is that a help to you to have that experience so that you can keep your spirits high as well improve physically?
RAFAEL NADAL: At the end, that's in a sport that the experience helps, but if you're not hitting the ball well and you're not moving well, doesn't matter how much experience you have. If the opponent hit the ball faster, more quicker, doesn't matter if you have more experience than the opponent, no?
That's in a sport that you have to be quick, you have to be dynamic, you have to play with no mistakes, and that's the things that I need to do to have success again.
Every feeling is new, every year is new. Experience can help you in some moments, but in general, every year there is new feelings and new things that you have to learn to try to keep doing well.
Q. We didn't see you on court for official tournament since Basel in October, so you're back here for an official tournament in Doha. What are your goals for 2015?
RAFAEL NADAL: The same ones like every year. No, no, it's not like ‑‑no new things for me, no? My goals is try to be competitive in every tournament that I gonna play. I know that to be competitive in every tournament I gonna play, hopefully not much, but I gonna need small period of time, I hope, hope will be small, because, as I said before, it's difficult to be back playing against the best players, compete well from beginning is something that almost never happened.
So I gonna try to make it as quick as possible, but it's normal that I'm going to need some time. But I'm happy I'm practicing well and working very hard. I'm doing the right things with the right attitude.
I hope to be ready to compete here, and then if I am able to spend some time on court, every moment on court will help me, will be positive for my future, and for sure I gonna try to play the best tournament possible.
Q. Given how much time you have had off, what would you be satisfied with this week? Is it more important for you to have match time? Is a result relevant for you this week?
RAFAEL NADAL: The result is the sport at the end, no? The result is the life. That's the real thing. But at the end, for me, as many matches as I can play, more help will be for me. So will be every match today means a lot and will be very important.
If I'm able to win couple of matches will be fantastic for me to play some matches, and then a week of practice before Australia can help me. But if not, I am ready to accept everything, to accept that I gonna need time and I gonna need to play with my best attitude possible to be competitive.
Seriously, I happy the way that I am. I need time prove, I know that, but that's normal. But in general I think I am not that bad. I hope to be competitive soon.
Q. At the end of last season and again last week you said that the most important thing for you to be competitive mentally is to get back your competitive spirit. Can you say how close you are to that or if you feel competitive and ready at this moment?
RAFAEL NADAL: Doesn't matter what I am feeling, no? Is what the opponents feels. At the end, I can feel myself competitive, but if the opponents feels that I'm not competitive and they beat me, will be that I'm not ready yet, no?
So we will see. Every match will be a test for me. Every moment will help, as I said before. And I have the mental spirit I always had, the mental spirit competitive, no? So now I need to recover the tennis, I need to recover the movements. All these kind of things that only the competition can give, you know.
So I think I'm ready mentally to work for it, and I am doing. And seriously I think the work I did in Majorca was important. The work I am doing here will be important for the future, too. I happy how I am.
I play doubles tomorrow. Every moment that I gonna spend on court will be important, and then singles on Tuesday. We will see.
Q. We have seen you winning the title last season for the first time. Can we see Rafa doing it for the second time in a row this year?
RAFAEL NADAL: Is not the ideal situation to do it again, but that's a reality. You never know in the world of sport. The things change quick. If I am able to play couple of matches and to win a couple of matches, then probably the feeling will be different for me and I will feel that I will be more ready for everything. But this is tough tournament, a lot of good players in the draw.
The people remember my comeback of 2013, but the truth is I came back in a perfect situation for me and perfect conditions for me, not playing on hard conditions, on clay, 250 tournaments, better and possible for my recover my feelings, no?
Today is a different story. The tournament is different. The surface is different. Is difficult to imagine something like happened few years ago.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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