Xavi: Sr Rafa Nadal, today yes, you really got wet, just how many interruptions! and in the end you won for the 5th time. Are these sensations special? different?

Rafa: Hola! Good afternoon – well the sensations are always different, I really have gone through a difficult period, I have worked really hard as I said in Monte Carlo to be here and I also said many times that I was at the right level, and these last two weeks that I have been competing have gone really well for me, incredible for me to win the most important tournaments in the world this one for me personally there are some of my favourites and I am very, very happy about how everything has gone. I also want to congratulate David for the really great week that he has had, he is playing at a great level throughout the season

Xavi: It is still special this victory, with the two interruptions, you have sometimes lived through those before in other matches, such as Wimbledon but to happen in a final it makes it strange

Rafa: Yes, yes it always makes it difficult waiting it out in the locker room, but well, okay I’ve lived through it already a couple of times, with Soderling in Wimbledon, and also with Federer in the final, Montecarlo this year I also had to stop during the match against Juan Carlos, so I am used to it and you just have to have patience and wait for the moment to go and start again, and like I said the most important thing is to keep a cool head and not get angry.

Xavi: A question from Tomás Carbonell, Rafa

Tomás: First of all congratulations especially for the well deserved victory playing not quite as well as you were playing in Montecarlo, and then to ask what did you change after the delay - I was saying here that you had some problems with your forehand during the match – and then when you came out after the delay, you worked out the problems and finished in style.

Rafa: Well I think that the match yesterday took away a bit of my confidence so I started off with a few doubts today. The match yesterday was a difficult match, and interrupted my rhythm a lot, I didn’t feel good, so it made me start with a little bit of doubt. Also the rain and wind from the start of the match, well the sensation wasn’t perfect, and apart from that in front of me I had probably the most difficult rival that I had met in this tournament and some moments of the match were tough, like the 5-4 0:30 in the first set, no, but I think that more than the forehand, the real problem in the first set was the return of serve which was going very short and with a weak grip, and then going to the locker room and talking to Toni we were talking about holding the racquet a bit tighter on the return of serve, that went well and from there the match went much better for my part.

Xavi: We have to end here, a Mallorquin triumphed today in the Moto GP of Spain, Jorge Lorenzo, in Rome you have triumphed, another Mallorquin, this victory today I imagine you would like to dedicate, for the day that today is – to your mother.

Rafa: Well (smiling) I never dedicate anything to anyone but today is Mother’s Day so it wouldn’t be wrong, so of course to always thank my mother for everything she does for me, and it is a shame she couldn’t be here with me today, and from here I send her a big kiss.

Xavi: And we do to you Rafa, thanks

Rafa: Thanks to you, and a hug.

(Just a little anecdote - after Rafa's conversation Xavi was laughing saying "I think that is the first time I have sent a kiss to Rafa!!!")


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