Rafael Nadal He was optimistic this Wednesday on his state of form and assured that “he is happy”, that he is “enjoying” tennis and that the situation has changed a lot compared to a month ago, when he could not play in Barcelona, Madrid and Rome.
“I rested for a few days at home after Madrid, I came to Rome and trained. I am excited to play here, where I have unforgettable moments. This is my third contest in a row and that’s great news. I have to keep seeing it every day, but I’m happy with how I feel,” he declared at a press conference at the Foro Italico.
The tennis player from Manacor fell in Madrid in the round of 16, although he reflects positively on his improvement these days and made it clear that he enjoys playing.
“It was a good moment even if the results didn’t match. I have fun playing. IM happy with what Im doing. When I talk about retirement, it’s not because I don’t enjoy playing anymore or I don’t feel good enough. “It’s about the fact that my body can’t play week after week, it’s not about myself being able to train and enjoy training on a daily basis,” he insisted.
About his improvement, he said: “My evolution is not the same every day. Even after Barcelona, I had some difficult moments in Madrid. Even here on the first day.”
“But in general terms, the line is up, no doubt. So yes, I am happy where I am now because a month ago it was almost impossible for me to think that I would be able to play in Barcelona, ating
Nadal, the most successful player in Rome with 10 titles and one of the most loved by the Italian public, has fond memories of his first titles on Italian clay courts, when the best of 5 sets were played.
“The best memory is the first. The indelible moments are always the best of the 5 and I miss playing the Masters 1,000 to 5. That’s why I have better memories of the finals against Coria and Federer,” he explained.
“It feels good, the public is very passionate. This tournament is part of the history of our sport and I feel lucky to be playing here. “I’m very motivated,” he added.
In addition, he spoke about the wave of injuries that left the tournament without the Italian Jannik Sinner and the Spanish Carlos Alcaraz: “The injuries are always there. That is the truth. “I understand that for you (Italian) Jannik not playing here is terrible news, especially because of how he has been playing this year.”
“If we want to talk about why people are injured, I’ll be clear about it: When you push your body to the limit, you will eventually get injured. When tennis gets faster and faster, you get injured. When you play most of the year on hard courts and the surfaces are harder on the body, you get injured. “That’s the simple answer,” he declared.
“Then there is another world. The one with tournaments. That’s about the business, about the sport itself. That’s a different story. Ultimately, players want to win money. Contests want to make money. So it’s the whole cycle coming together. We accept that role,” he noted.
“I missed a lot of important tournaments, very important in my career because of injuries. As a player you can’t complain about it. Accept what will happen. Keep going. “If you’re injured, you have to heal properly,” he recalled.
“They are young. They will have many opportunities to play in Rome and have many successes here. No drama. The tournament will survive even without Carlos and Jannik who are extremely important players for any event today. Especially for Italy, Jannik not playing here anymore after everything he represented in this country now, I think it’s terrible news. Even for me as a spectator, as his colleague, I feel very sad for him because he deserves to play here,” he said.
“I wish him, and Carlos of course, all the best and I look forward to meeting them at Roland Garros”he judged.
Source: La Verdad
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