Wimbly: 2nd round presser transcript
Photo by Neil Tingle/AFP/GettyImages
A transcript of Rafa’s post 2nd round presser is up on the Wimbledon site. What happened out there? Was he just too good?
Q. What happened out there? Was he just too good?
RAFAEL NADAL: Oh, c’mon. That’s too simple. In the fifth, yes. Not before, no? In the fifth set he played more than unbelievable. That’s fine.
Before, first three sets, I didn’t play well.
Q. You were complaining a little bit about something he was doing at one point. What was it that he was doing that was bothering you?
RAFAEL NADAL: You know, the bad thing of this is anything that I will say now will sound against me. So is not the right moment for me to say what happened out there because gonna sound an excuse, and I never want to put an excuse after a match like today.
But the umpire say a few things weren’t right.
Q. What were your thoughts about the decision to delay the fifth set and close the roof?
RAFAEL NADAL: For sure wasn’t the best one for me. But that’s what it is and accept. Accept that he came back and played unbelievable the fifth.
I was playing well in the fourth. I think I played a great fourth set. Sure the stop this time didn’t help me. That’s the sport. That’s it.
Only thing that I can do is come back home, rest I need and I deserve. So that’s what I can do, nothing else.
Q. Is it frustrating for you to see a guy who is hitting forehand winners 100 miles an hours, putting in first serves anytime he needs it?
RAFAEL NADAL: That’s happens, no? Playing in this surface these kind of matches can happen. Today happened, and I didn’t have the right inspiration in the first three sets in a few points. To win these kind of matches I must have this inspiration in that moments; I didn’t.
Later was impossible, no? That’s happens when you play against a player who is able to hit the ball very hard, hit the ball without thinking and feeling the pressure.
At the end, when the opponent wants to play like he wanted to play in the fifth, you are in his hands, no? Everything was going right for him in the fifth.
Q. When was the last time somebody served that well against you, especially in a fifth set?
RAFAEL NADAL: Is not the right moment to think for me. Is very, very difficult for me to imagine or think when was the last time. I played a lot of matches. Sorry.
Q. Do you think by not playing well in the first three sets maybe you gave him some confidence that he could actually win?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, I played bad and my return wasn’t work very well. I think my served worked well, but I played with little bit less energy than other times. He had two very good games on the return. I think very good returns, long, and hitting the ball very hard.
I had two breaks in that two sets, and I really didn’t had that chance to have the break back.
Q. You’ve said many, many times how much you love Wimbledon. Can you talk about your feeling now inside after the result?
RAFAEL NADAL: My feeling is what you are watching. I am like this. I am very, very disappointed. Sure, I not very happy. In the end is a second round match. Is not the semifinals or final, so that bothers more, because then you feel that you had the chance to win the title.
I not gonna say in the point of my career today the only thing that going to work for me is the victory, but more or less. So I was very far to win the tournament. I just was in the second round. That’s painful, because always is tough to lose.
But, well, that’s sport. You win, you lose. Last four months were great for me. Was probably one of the best four months of my career, playing unbelievable in the clay court season.
You arrive here, and a little bit of everything. You play against an inspired opponent and I am out. That’s all. Is not a tragedy. Is only a tennis match.
At the end, that’s life. There is much more important things. Sure, I wanted to win, but I lost. That’s it.
Q. When you were told that the roof was going to be closed, you appeared to be surprised. Did you not expect that?
RAFAEL NADAL: I was surprised because takes 30 to 45 minutes. I was very surprised for that. My feeling was is completely new stadium with new roof, so the normal thing is cover the roof in 5, 10 minutes. That was my thought.
So was big surprise for me when they told me they need 30 to 45 minutes. That’s the only thing.
Q. Had you been told beforehand that the roof might be closed because of the light?
RAFAEL NADAL: No.
Q. This loss makes you feel more like powerful inside to fight for the gold medal?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. If you think that, you don’t understand the sport.
Q. You play always wanting to win, and then this loss is a disappointed as well. Does this loss give you more energy inside to fight for the gold medal?
RAFAEL NADAL: I gonna repeat. I understand your question from the beginning. I think the answer is what I said.
When you win you have more confidence for the next tournaments. Is not when you lose you have more hunger to win the next. That’s not the true. When you are winning you feel more confident, you feel, you know, playing better. When you lose, the confidence is less for the next tournaments. That’s for everybody.
But seriously, doesn’t affect my motivation for the next tournament win or lose. That’s all.
Q. You said you were going to take the rest you need and deserve. Are you in some ways exhausted by the last four months?
RAFAEL NADAL: Exhausted? I don’t really understand exactly what the word is, ‘exhausted.’ But I feel very well mentally. But physically, you know, you need to rest. I played for the last six months playing almost every match possible in the tournaments that I played.
And, sure, physically I need to stop a little bit.
Q. After what you saw of your opponent, particularly in the last set, do you think he can go on to be a threat in this tournament? Can he achieve more wins? Can he go a long way in the tournament?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. How old is him?
Q. He’s 26.
RAFAEL NADAL: He didn’t in the past, but you never know what’s going on in the future. The thing is today he played great. He played special.
Sure, if he played the way he played the fifth set, you can win against everybody. But I think everybody who follows tennis knows that that’s very difficult to do every day.
But if he’s able to do it this time, he will have his chance. I wish him all the best.
Q. What surprised you most today about your own performance?
RAFAEL NADAL: Not much, seriously. Nothing special, no? I know before the match how I feel, and I know probably if the opponent plays the way he plays I will have problems. I had more than problems.
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According to the video of the interview in response to the question about how he feels about the loss, I’m sure he said “I am NOT very, very disappointed”.
I agree. In the video, Rafa did seem to say “I am NOT very, very disappointed”. Do you all agree?
Plus, Rafa’s mood in the press conference video was better than I expected. His mood after this loss seemed better than last year’s Wimbledon, when Rafa seemed depressed in his press conference after losing to Nole. It seems like Rafa knew he was tired after an emotional French Open win, and wasn’t ready to play his best just 2 weeks later at Wimbledon.
What do you all think?
Kevin — I was thinking about the same. And, although I couldn’t believe what I had been seeing and yes, it is a tough loss — I totally lost my interest in keeping up with news in Wimbledon this year — I actually, and surprisingly, were not as devastated.
If Rafa lost to Nole this year again in a clay coat, that would be catastrophic. But, he’s eventually figured out the way to beat Nole. This is a HUUUUUGE accomplishment for Rafa to have made this year. Given that Nole made it in the final three time during the clay season, his level is still high (although it may not be as high as last year). But, Rafa beat Nole in all matches except the one in Australia (if I am not mistaken).
So, perhaps later this year or next year, he will be back stronger and totally ready to win Wimbledon. Yes, it is disappointing and yes, I wish the match turned out to be different, but Rafa’s body language doesn’t show his devastation, which makes me feel better and hopeful for his comeback. In the end, he is human, and there are good days and bad days even for the tennis great.
He definitely said “I am NOT very, very disappointed”.
Yep. The answer to that last question says it all … Rafa was just a smidgen ( I just wanted to use that word ;), too slow and with a big hitter like Rosol he needed all his wits about him. In the first set when he seemed to be having problems with the sun/shadows on the court I knew he was in trouble.
I love the word simdgen, glad you used it! Rafa’s comment at the end of the interview “I had more than problems” got a smile out of me too.
But the umpire say a few things weren’t right.
–
I wonder what they actually said ?
“…rest I need and I deserve.” Totally, Rafa. Totally. (That’s so sweet I just want to grab his cheeks and mother him.):D
Rafa’s mentioning lack of energy and not enough inspiration reminds me what a physical and emotional grind these seasons are.
More importantly, Rafa has been killing himself since last summer re-working his game – AGAIN – and who would be willing to keep putting themselves out like that? I’m not sure most tennis “observers” understand how much work Rafa has been doing to improve his game this year.
But boy did it finally pay off – with him playing the best tennis of his life this spring. And winning repeatedly against a player who last year gave him a lot of problems. It required extreme mental and physical energy for Rafa to do all this – much more than any previous clay seasons required of him.
Then right away he had to start all over trying to play on grass, which for him is always difficult the first several matches. It was bad luck he ran into a player like Rosol so early, who was basically unbeatable by anyone that day.
After such effort and hard work this past year, it is just too much to ask Rafa go further and deal with someone like Rosol that early in the tournament. It was like he was having to play a final match in the second round.
As other posters have observed, it is really a blessing in disguise that he has been forced to stop and rest his mind and body at this point. As Rafa said, he “needs it and deserves it” and it will do him a lot of good for the difficult season ahead.
All the great improvements he has made in his tennis (did you see all those aces!) will still be there – but only after he has been able to have a nice long break!
I agree and for some players, luck sometimes play a part in helping them get through a tough match but Lady Luck seldom shines on Rafa. He always has to do it the hard way. Rest well and come back strong, Rafa.
Looking forward to seeing Rafa carry his country’s flag at the Olympics! Vamos!
That is a fantastic post Izzie :). I agree so much with you. Rafa really has made many improvements and tactical changes. It’s really admirable that he has been able to do this, at this point in his career and with the pressure he must have had on himself after the 7 loses in a row to Novak. He kept himself very much together through it all – I’m still proud of him for the way he handled it after the AO final – and he was willing to work all he had to. I am amaze at his lucidity and clarity when early in the year he talked about how he didn’t think his game would be ready for the AO, but that he knew he had to be ready for the clay season, and boy he was.
It naturally took a lot mentally off him, and that maybe wouldn’t even have been much evident had he not found himself with a match like this one, but it’s really very understandable.
Absolutely Cristina.. I have been so proud of Rafa, sure this loss is sad but to lose to Novak again would hace been worse.. So glad #Fed beat him today, and good luck to /andy tommorow..
Sounds like Rafa is tired and truly needs a good break after the spring clay court season. So I know he would prefer to advance, but in truth this may be just what he needed more. Time to recover, relax, and prepare for exo and Olympics in a few weeks.
two grand slams in 6 weeks is to much. I know it has always been this way and for other players it’s not a problem, they are not playing finals in RG which this year ran over to a Monday, then it’s off to another country to play as soon as possible on a different surface. Players prepare and adapt differently to a change in surface.
Nole took a rest, played 1 exho on grass and adapted to it quickly but on clay it takes him longer. Rafa adapts well on to clay but takes longer on grass, Murray played a lot on grass and lost ,Federer the same.
Wimbledon being pushed back a week can only be good news for the players and help everyone.
I just love Rafa’s attitiude and grace in all circumstances.I think the reason that many of us are so sweet on him apart from his great athleticsim and skill is that he is just so decent and well balanced. He is really a great example to a lot of other players and such a kool guy/ Doesn’t hurt that his serve demolishes everybody. He had one of those quirky and unexpected days and I hope that its the one of the few that he will have.