Rafa Nadal attended this Sunday by telematic means to the accredited media for the Mutua Madrid Open, a tournament in which he will begin his participation directly in the second round, on Wednesday, against Adrian Mannarino or Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard assures that he is “well” and that the title of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell was “a step forward” for him, in a phase of the season in which it is necessary to “squeeze and make an important effort”.
Land tour: “I have been playing well this part of the season for a long time, probably because the soil adapts well to my game. It is true that I have not played much this year to evaluate how I am doing. I always like to play this tour and I love these tournaments, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and, of course, Roland Garros. “
Roland Garros: “I do not see a big difference depending on the preparation that Roland Garros has been delayed a week. The situation in the world is what it is. If it is a little worse that there is only one week between Paris and Wimbledon.”
Madrid, complicated: “Madrid is the most difficult clay court tournament for me, but at the same time the best emotionally. I am happy to be back here. It is more difficult for me to control the points here, but I have also had some success, I have won a couple of times. (five, actually) and I hope I can do well this year. “
Behaviour: “Off the court I am a laid back guy and on the court I always play with a positive attitude, self-control, passion, clear goals and love for the game. I always work to have the right intensity and at the same time try to be a better player.”
Sensations: “I trained well, I did a double session on Friday, a double session on Saturday and today, probably, too. More than three hours a day. I feel good, excited, happy to be here in Madrid. It’s a shame they won’t let us out to walk, but they are WTA rules, strict confinement, but at least we have an audience and that helps energetically tolerate everything else.
Calendar: “I would be competing for sure this week wherever I was, because I have played little, four tournaments with this one. The calendar was scheduled to be this: Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros. It is time to push, to make an important effort, and everyone knows that I love playing at home and I want to enjoy the crowd as much as possible here in Madrid. “
Aspirations: “I would like to win, basically. That would mean that I will have done many things well. Barcelona was a step forward for me, I would like to feel that I am doing well, playing as many games as possible, trying to get the best possible result, that My serve works better and I regain security and a sense of control, although here it is more complicated. But it all comes down to one thing, playing well. This is simple, I have to move well, hit the ball well and compete well. If so, the chances of a better outcome will be greater. “
Victories and confidence: “The athlete feeds on training and results. I need to feel that I am playing well and I am competitive with everyone. I lost against Rublev playing poorly, but I competed. I lacked game, not competitiveness. Before Monte Carlo I saw myself in a great But if you have a bad day and have played little, the solutions are more difficult to find. In Barcelona I lived again with stressful situations. I have to work with attitude, passion and intensity to give myself the opportunities to do well. Barcelona made tennis adjustments and I overcame difficult situations, and the result was a title and it is one of those that is valued the most because you win them without things going smoothly. “
Nostalgia: “I miss my youth. What I don’t like is adding years, but I have always been consistent in accepting every moment and every stage of my career. I don’t have nostalgia, I do have great memories. In 2005 everything was new and I experienced sensations every week. new. Now I appreciate it differently, but not less intensely. I’m happy because if I look back, things have gone much better than I dreamed of and I hope to continue enjoying it for as long as possible. “