Rafa Nadal: “I'm improving my game little by little”

Rafa Nadal continued to sweep in his assault on what would be his 13th Musketeers Cup. The Spaniard on this occasion surpassed the North American Mackenzie McDonald, who barely offered resistance and was defeated in less than two hours by 6-1, 6-0 and 6-3. “I am happy. The objective is clear, and it is to play the best possible. It was a good game for me “Rafa commented in French at the end of the meeting.

His rival will be the Italian Stefano Travaglia. “It will be a difficult game for sure, a difficult opponent. I hope to play at a good level, it is always special to play on this court and I want to do my best”said the Spanish.

Asked about the formula for success, Nadal couldn't help but laugh before commenting on it. “There is no formula. It is important to have the passion for what you do, if you do not feel the passion for tennis it is impossible. But you have to surround yourself with the right people and who will help you every day, because there will be times when you will be tired and there are people who make you reach the highest level. You have to be a worker and have a good team “, Nadal sentenced.

Minutes after the match, Rafa was able to speak at Eurosport about the new tournament conditions. “I knew that the conditions had changed before leaving Mallorca, with the cold the ball becomes stone and it is a very different feeling. I had trained with this ball the previous months in Mallorca and there with heat the ball was already big and heavy, so I knew that with this weather conditions were going to be difficult and different, but the reality is what it is and I try to play the best I can “, Nadal analyzed.

Asked by Alex Corretja if he would train after their encounter, Nadal ruled out that option entirely. “I am not thinking of training after the game, having a day in between for sure not. I already have a day to train tomorrow. Today we have warmed up in the morning plus the game, in the end this may or may not be long, but we have to face the tournament with the mentality of aspiring to everything. You have to know when to force and when not to, it is important to find the best possible sensations, but training today with the circumstances that exist, I think it can take more than add “said the 12 Roland Garros winner.

On his performance, Nadal was satisfied, considering that he improves in the tournament match by match. “Today it was a little less cold, even with the perfect conditions that I love here, things have gradually improved during the tournament, reaching a more or less high level. I trust this is the trend, I want to go taking steps forward every day. Today I have done things better, my feeling is that today I have increased the speed in the service and I am incorporating things to advance step by step “, declared Rafa.

At a press conference, Rafa expanded his opinions about the match and the tournament.

Weather: “I work hard every practice to play better. Today has not been cold and the conditions have not been bad, and when it is warmer the ball is less heavy, it is a fact. But I have seen the forecasts for the next few days and they are not good ”.

Perfection: “Perfection is difficult. It is a word that does not exist in sports and tennis, because mistakes are always made. Approaching perfection is winning, because that gives you options to play another game. Being better every day is the goal. To play very, very well yes I have ever done it, perfectly, no ”.

Hit the ball: “Today it was not so cold, and the ball, although it is not the liveliest in the world, does not feel like a stone, with colder there you can see a ball with less sensation. I would already be able to play with these conditions, not extreme ”.

Free time and bubble: “I play turbo Parcheesi and I'm in a bad time, we played three. Today my father and my sister have come, but it would only be necessary for us to complain, since we have the opportunity to play tennis. We get along well, even if the feelings are sadder. I watch tennis, I read, I watch series, I am with Carlos and Rafa. Being able to have contact with the outside gives you a lot of air and now we are in the bubble of the tennis world. It's two weeks, let's see what happens ”.

Proof: “It is not a game that lets me know how I am, I have won it with a positive result. When you win with results like today, it is not wrong. I know they will demand more of me. It can improve dynamism, I have combined good shots with some mistakes. The feelings are still good, with steps forward. The service has been positive, I have increased speed, with the drive I have done damage and the only thing, that I have been conservative with the crossed backhand. I do things well in training and I have to put them into practice in training. “

Filming: “If you don't make it through the first week, you're home, a no-brainer. It is true that this year every game that I play is confidence, hours of games that make me advance in my game. Now I have an important test that can help me click to move forward ”.