Rafa Nadal spoke to the virtually accredited media for the ATP Finals on Friday. He did it through the Zoom platform to offer his first impressions of a tournament that he faces perhaps in the best physical condition, at this point in the season, of his entire career. He will play in the London 2020 Group against Thiem, Tsitsipas and Rublev.
Indoor performance: “We can find excuses or reasons, but at the end of the day the numbers are the numbers. I have played less indoors, but at the same time it is true that it is a surface that is not ideal for my game from the beginning of my career. I think that I've been doing better over the years, but the numbers are there and I hope they change this week. “
preparation: “I don't know if it was perfect. I tried to play my best in Paris and I hope that helps me here. I have to train to face the challenge of facing tough opponents like Rublev in the first round.”
Bubble: “We are in a hotel next to the O2, in different conditions than other years, we cannot even walk 100 meters from the hotel to the pavilion, but we are lucky to be able to compete, we cannot be negative, we have to thank everyone for organizing tournaments in these conditions. Not playing with an audience in this wonderful stadium is a shame and it is not ideal, but it is like that. “
London: “It is not fair that the Finals end here in London without an audience, but that is the situation, I can only congratulate the city for these 12 years and hope that Turin will be a great event as well.”
The best moment: “I've heard this other times, I don't agree or disagree, words have to be translated into facts. Sometimes people don't know what my state really is. I did a good job in Paris with several consecutive games. The year Last time I was the one who arrived better, but I broke my abdominal. I was very good at the game and I showed it with two good games and a great Davis Cup later. This year it is difficult to know, but the preparation is being the best possible. a key game and I will do my best to arrive well prepared. “
Surface: “It's many years and I don't think it is necessary to remove or create a starter. The surface is what it is and I hope to continue giving me some option. Hopefully in the future I can classify again. What happens will be seen. I know what my opinion is. and it will have to be seen. At some point in history it will change. “
Australia and the calendar: “The fact of having won the Finals in the past did not influence me in the decision to play or not to play. I did not think of an interest to be able to play these two events. It was decided because in Australia you have to do 14 days of quarantine. We understood that It was many weeks without competing and it was better to take advantage and continue because my body was in optimal condition. I felt good physically to take them on. The preparation for Australia does not affect, there is time later. Apart from the preseason, I will have 14 days in Australia to adapt ” .
The group: “It is a very difficult group, with very difficult matches on this surface. The beginning is essential. Last year I arrived after an injury and I could not win. · It is very important to start well and I hope to be ready.”
Rublev: “All the pressure is going to be on Nadal”
Andrey Rublev, Rafael Nadal's first rival in the ATP Finals, said that all the pressure in the match will be on the Spanish side. The Russian tennis player, who makes his debut this season at the end of the year tournament, praised Nadal and said that he is the best athlete overall and the strongest mentally.
“I am looking forward to the game. I think all the pressure will be on it,” he added. It will be the second game that Rublev and Nadal have played after the one they played in the US Open 2017 and that ended with the victory of the Balearic, who ended up taking the tournament.
“I've worked really hard to be here. London has the best players in the world, so it's not going to be easy. It's going to be fun and very interesting.” —EFE
Thiem: “Sometimes I feel more comfortable on the fast track”
Austrian Dominic Thiem confirmed that he sometimes feels “more comfortable” when he plays on the fast track than when he plays on clay because of the results he has accumulated since the end of 2019. “Sometimes I feel even more comfortable, because of the results since the end of the season. from 2019 to today. Some parts of my game adapt better to concrete than to clay. I feel just as comfortable on both surfaces, “said the tennis player at a press conference.
The Austrian reached the final at last year's ATP Finals, where he fell in a final tie-break against Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas. “Last year I came to this tournament a little sick and tired and the truth is that I needed to rest, but this year I am mentally and physically well. After this tournament I will take a good vacation and surely then I will go to Australia.” —EFE
Tsitsipas: “If I defend the title it will be the best thing that has happened to me”
Tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas explained at a press conference that if he managed to defend the ATP Finals title that he won last season it would be “the best” that happened to him this year.
year. “I'm very happy to be back,” Tsitsipas said of London, the city that saw him crowned a teacher in 2019. “It's like a place where the best celebrate having worked so hard all year. It's not easy to get there and you have to work hard. If I defend the title it will be the best thing that happened to me this year. “
On the physical problems that have bothered him in recent weeks and that have not allowed him to compete without pain in Vienna and Paris, the Greek pointed out that he is very close to being 100% and that he is not worried about the pain he felt in Paris . “I feel much better than I was in Vienna and I hope not to have to go through the injury I had a few weeks ago,” he added.
Tsitsipas also spoke about his rivals in the group, among which is Rafael Nadal, and defined the Spaniard as “one of the greatest icons in sport.” “Having him in my group means that I can give my best against him. I think he is the favorite of the group. Playing against him is an opportunity to prove myself,” he said. —EFE