wimbledonblog

W: Times Blog & QnA #1

6/21/2011Olivia



Well done Rory, the big news of the weekend
Rafael Nadal
Yesterday, 8:08PM

Good morning everybody and thanks again for letting me this opportunity to do this blog.

I arrived to London last Wednesday and one thing different this year is that .... it has been raining all the time! We had such a lovely summer last year! :-) Anyway it is great to be back here in the UK playing this fantastic event.

Lots of things to tell you but really not many different things except for this weather. Hopefully it will change and will allow the tournament to go on without many headaches! Because imagine all those players from the section of the draw I am playing that spent the whole day at the tournament waiting to play and that in the end they could not play!

And just wanted to say something about the big news of this past week end! Rory amazing!!!! Big congratulations to him! IT is so nice to see him play! He deserved to win and I am very happy for him and for all his family, team, friends and fans! Well done!

Rafa




This is Rafa's first blog in Times.. Get your questions into Rafa by e-mailing rafa@timesonline.co.uk
When you were my age (11), for how many hours a week did you play tennis and how did you manage to find the time? Sinead Ryan

Rafa: Hello, I use to spend 2 or 3 hours playing tennis and even football. But at that age more or less I had to stop football since it was too much and stayed with tennis. You know classes and studies together with sport was what I was doing.

You like to cook here – do you ever use a recipe? What is your favourite dish to prepare besides gambas and pasta? Teresa, USA

Yes I like to cook here in Wimbledon at the house. I also prepare fish and vegetables, grilled. I buy very good tuna fish and salmon here which I love. The salmon I do it with teriyaki sauce.

How do you remain so humble whilst you look totally arrogant on court? Elaine Marock

Wow! So you say I am arrogant? I am only focused and concentrated on the point. I don't think I behave arrogant, sorry to not agree with you.

I queued over 24 hours in order to see you play! Is there anything that you would queue that long for? Kim Mackenzie

Not sure I would do it, specially here with all this rain! So i really admire all you and thank you for doing that. I would queue for the golf event!

What are the main adjustments you have to make to play on grass at Wimbledon? Do you have to stay closer to the baseline, take the ball earlier and be more aggressive? Will you be adjusting your service motion and position as well? And do you feel comfortable with the courts and balls this year? I hope you have a great tournament, again. Best of luck. Alexis Grohmann

Yes, there are many adjustments to the grass compared with clay for example. Almost everything is different. Like all fast surfaces you have to try to stay closer to the base line. The serve os also more important and also the body position here is lower since you hit the ball down more than up. Many things to change actually.

Hi Rafa,how does it make you feel when other players say you are their toughest opponent to play? Val Brighouse

Well, I am not sure they always really mean it. But it is something that helps I suppose.

If you could have had a long conversation and ask questions to someone famous from the past who would you like to have talked to and why, what would you like to have asked them or learnt from them? Juliette Westbrook-Finch, England UK

This is a very interesting question but I really don't know the answer would have to think about it. BUt for sure someone historic, some one who was important in the history of my country. or maybe some sportsman that had really important moments to ask how he handled the situation. OR some world businessman... I don't know but thanks for this since will think about it.

As Wimbledon gets underway, do you feel a lot of pressure is off of you now that you won Roland Garros? Jennifer Wilkens

We always have pressure but the fact of winning Roland Garros really releases some of that pressure and makes me play with more calm.

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