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R. Nadal Interview - 26 June
Thursday, 26 June 2008
R. NADAL defeated E. Gulbis 5-7, 6-2, 7-6, 6-3
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Rafael Nadal.
Q. The way the match started, was there perhaps a fear in your mind you may have missed kickoff?
RAFAEL NADAL: If I lose?
Q. With losing the first set, there was a fear that the match might drag on.
RAFAEL NADAL: If I'm going to miss the football? If I play the longest match in history, yes.
Q. In the first set you got to a dropshot on time, but the umpire incorrectly ruled it. Looked like you flew into a rage. What was the conversation you had with him about that?
RAFAEL NADAL: My English is not very well. Especially when I am a little bit nervous on court worse.
Well, I only said it wasn't ‑‑ was easy one bounce, not two bounce. I say that's unbelievable how you can't see something like this, no? I said probably for your fault I gonna lose the set. Disappointing for me, I lose the set.
But wasn't for this. I lose the set because I played terrible, terrible next game.
Q. The challenge for you in this match was to find a way to stop all of his power, his great serving. Did you change tactics here and there to find a way to win this match?
RAFAEL NADAL: Sure, I changed a little bit after the first set, trying to return a little bit more behind, with the second serve especially, too.
Because in the beginning I tried to play aggressive with the second serve, going inside, but was impossible. With the first, the same, and it was impossible, no? He was serving too good. The second serve, too, was very difficult.
But later I go little bit behind and I felt like I had little bit more control of the situation there, no? I can play the first shot with more time, playing normal shot, but starting the point.
Q. How dangerous do you think Gulbis will be when he has more experience?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, for sure he can improve. But more than right now is not easy, because he has very good serve, very good forehand, unbelievable powerful, no?
So I think when his game stops maybe a little bit, because in one moment he has to think a little bit more and don't hit all the balls with this power, he gonna be in the top positions for sure.
But, you know, sometimes I don't know is better stop a little bit or don't stop, because player like this is very dangerous. If you stop little bit the opponent have more chances for playing against you, no? But you never know.
Q. I know the Spanish players are proud of how well they're doing on grass right now. Do you feel like you led that progress? Were you the leader for the Spanish players on grass?
RAFAEL NADAL: I answer this question the other day. Before me was good players like Feliciano Lopez doing quarterfinals here. Ferrero do the fourth round here.
So I don't know if I am the leader. Probably I was the first ‑‑ because Feliciano has a very good serve, very good volley. Everybody say Feliciano, he going to be a specialist on this surface.
But probably I was the first who did a very good result playing normal: aggressive from the baseline, but changing a little bit the tactic. But for sure I can't play the same like clay or hard, but playing from the baseline and playing rallies, for sure playing aggressive.
But I think everybody right now is trying to play similar in Spain because is our game. Our game is not going to the net. But probably in the past was a little bit mistake try to change a lot your game when you are playing on grass, no?
Q. Are you happy with today's performance?
RAFAEL NADAL: Very happy with my win today, sure. I know I had a very tough opponent. Before the match I know that. Very happy on my win. Is very important win for me.
Q. He hit a great number of dropshots today. For the most part you did not do well with them.
RAFAEL NADAL: No, I didn't did very well.
Q. Have you ever had a day where you had a worse day dealing with someone else's dropshots?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I did terrible today when I arriving to the dropshots, so for the next day I gonna do better.
Q. What can you do about it?
RAFAEL NADAL: What can I do? Well, change a little bit the tactics. Probably another dropshot. I never did another dropshot when he give me dropshot.
Q. You are very young, but he obviously is still a teenager. Does it make you feel old to play a player that young?
RAFAEL NADAL: Not old, no? But lucky for me or not lucky for me, I had six years on tour. No, I feel young. But I feel like 22 years old, very young person. But when we speak tennis player, not the same.
Q. You are aware that Manolo Santana won this tournament in 1967.
RAFAEL NADAL: So?
Q. So when they ask you if you're the leader of Spaniards on grass, he would be the leader, right?
RAFAEL NADAL: He was the leader in his moment, but right now maybe the Spanish are not watching how Santana played in that moment.
Q. Are you friends with any of the Spain footballers on duty at the moment? Has there been any contact between you in the past few days? Have you been in touch with them, encouraging each other?
RAFAEL NADAL: I only send message to say best of luck to Casillas.
Q. Do you think the good weather is helping your game this year?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. Worse than last year is impossible and I did the final.
Q. When playing Gulbis, which shot did you find the most challenging with him being so young?
RAFAEL NADAL: The most impressive shot him has? I think the serve and forehand.
Q. Is it a special challenge? Do you enjoy playing younger guys because you have to be a little more careful because you don't know them so much?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, always is dangerous to play against very good players like Gulbis. If he's young more, because he had always a special motivation.
Probably he don't have the same respect for the top player, because I know for me. So always very dangerous play against one player like Gulbis, no?
Q. What are your expectations for the game tonight that Spain will be in?
RAFAEL NADAL: Win.
Q. Any other details that you'll be looking for?
RAFAEL NADAL: Only win.
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Gulbis Interview - 26 June
Thursday, 26 June 2008
R. NADAL defeated E. Gulbis 5-7, 6-2, 7-6, 6-3
Q. When you go off on one of these streaks like you started today where you're like playing on another planet someplace, do you ever get the feeling that it can't last forever, that at some point I can't keep playing this well?
ERNESTS GULBIS: I started the match really well, as you could see, first set. I was serving really well; that was the key to the first set. I saw the statistics; I served more than 70 percent first serve, so that's what I didn't do for a long time.
Yeah, I knew that it can't last the whole match that I'm going to serve over 70 percent my first serve. But you know, Nadal is such a player that he also adjusts a lot. He started to return better, he started to guess more where I'm going to serve. That was the key point. And from baseline, he's, I think, the best player from baseline.
But still, I think I just lost a little bit of concentration in the second set, and that was the moment, if I would take maybe the break when I had Love‑30 the second game, maybe it would be different. But overall, yeah, I played the whole match pretty good, I think.
Q. Your vibration dampener, the yin‑yang, what's the story behind that?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Nothing, just ‑‑
Q. Is it your personality maybe?
ERNESTS GULBIS: No, I don't think so. It's just my coach had this vibrator and I'm using it. I like it. It's my lucky one. But not a big story behind it.
Q. There are two parts to Ernest Gulbis, tremendous power and great hands, great touch, and you showed it today with all the drop shots you hit.
ERNESTS GULBIS: Yeah, you know, power, I need it to play like this. I couldn't go every time long rallies with Rafael; otherwise I would be really tired by the third set already. So I was trying to shorten it up a little bit. So that's why I played aggressive. I mean, yeah, that's the way I play. I don't know how to explain.
Q. Why did you lose your concentration in the second set?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Not that I lost my concentration a lot. I was thinking that now it's important to take the second set, in the beginning to be concentrated and focused.
But he changed a little bit his game. I don't know if you could see it from the side, but I had a feeling a little bit. He started to return better, and I didn't serve so well in the beginning. So that was the part which decided it. Because if I would take second set, two sets love, anything could happen. But he took second set pretty easy, and third set he was in a better place to be.
Q. On your second serves, he began to back up like he was playing clay court tennis a little bit, just get the second serve back in play. Was that the tactical change you think he made that helped him out?
ERNESTS GULBIS: I didn't realize it, actually. It's good that you tell me. But I think that what I could do better was to go in more, to go volley more. That was the part which I didn't do good today, the only part, because from baseline I was feeling the ball really well. Returning, also, okay, as much as he let me to return.
But the part was maybe I should to serve and volley sometimes more against him, especially on important points, because he was just pushing it back. He was just slicing long if I would go volley.
But that's the part of my game which I still need to work on a lot because to be honest, I don't feel very confident in my volley. I feel much better than I did half a year ago. But still, it's a lot of room to improve, especially in volleys. So I think if I'm going to put that thing into my game, I think I will be more dangerous player.
Q. What did Nicky say to you after this match?
ERNESTS GULBIS: I haven't met him yet. I went to go shower and now here.
Q. You haven't seen him yet?
ERNESTS GULBIS: No.
Q. Many players don't bother practicing drop shots. They just think, well, you just touch the ball. Do you practice drop shots?
ERNESTS GULBIS: No, not at all.
Q. They're just natural for you?
ERNESTS GULBIS: They're just natural. It's the ball feeling, which you have. It hasn't always worked for me. You know, I had matches where I played terrible drop shots, and I stopped after half a set.
But on grass court it's much tougher than on clay court to play drop shots. In Paris I played a lot more drop shots. Here, not so much. But against Nadal, it's tough to make some of those drop shots.
Q. You not only hit the shots well, but after you hit the drop shots you positioned yourself well assuming he would get to the ball.
ERNESTS GULBIS: Actually I don't think so, because I think I positioned myself pretty bad after drop shots.
Q. Really?
ERNESTS GULBIS: I think so, because ‑‑
Q. Because you won about eight drop shot points today.
ERNESTS GULBIS: But that's also part of my game which I should be better in to my point of view, because I usually think I play the drop shot and that's it, that I won a point. But not always it's like this.
Okay, today it was a few lucky points actually when I made the drop shots, when he played right on me or something. I don't really remember so well.
Q. One off the net, too.
ERNESTS GULBIS: Yeah.
Q. You played Djokovic at Roland Garros and you played today in Wimbledon. Which was the more difficult?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Today was much more difficult. Okay, I lost to Djokovic three sets, now in four sets, but I think I played better today than I did against Djokovic. The conditions were better today for my game than they were then because it was wet and slow.
But I think that Nadal is a tougher opponent for me to play, because he's hitting with so much spin and with ‑‑ when I warmed up with him, because it was the first time in my life I played against him, I was surprised because he's hitting really strong and a lot of spin. I thought that I'm in trouble.
But I could adjust my game, because when I played Novak, I was more or less in control of the points. You know, I did a lot more unforced errors, but I could do a lot more from his game because he's not putting so much pressure on me with his game. Nadal is putting a lot of pressure to anybody, so that's why he's No. 2 and he has a good chance to be even higher.
Q. But today you weren't very far from him, so that's a good sign?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Yeah, that's why I'm happy, because it was ‑‑ it's really a great experience for me. I'm really happy that I could play more or less in the same level. On important points he was better than me, but I'm really happy that I saw that I can compete with the top players. So that's for me the most important thing right now, to be confident.
Q. And it was a bad draw for you, playing Nadal in the second round?
ERNESTS GULBIS: I don't think it was a bad drew. I'm happy I played him in the second round. Why not? I'm really happy to get any kind of experience that I can get from these matches. I would be happy to play Roger in my first, second round. It's not a time that I'm disappointed I played against him. I'm really happy about it.
Q. We all think that the tiebreaker in the third was the turning point of the match. We all think. I don't know if you agree, because after the tiebreaker almost everybody thought that the match was falling on Nadal's side. If you were to single out some point or crack some point, the main point of Nadal's game, what point or what skill can you point to?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Sorry, I didn't understand. Which is his weakest spot?
Q. No, stronger, or main spot maybe.
ERNESTS GULBIS: The way I played today, I wasn't ‑‑ I didn't try to play too much in his backhand because everybody when they play against him, they try to play more on his backhand, but that's not really ‑‑ I think that's not really the right way to play him, because when you're hitting backhand he doesn't miss and he goes around with his forehand, and then he kills you.
I tried to play more on his forehand side, to get him out of the backhand corner, so that was more or less my tactic today. That's basically it.
Q. But if you were to ‑‑ what's the main thing in Nadal's game that appeals to you or that kills you?
ERNESTS GULBIS: The way he's playing. You know, you can see the way he's playing. I don't know which is his weak spot, actually, like a big one. Maybe it's volleys, but he's not going so much volleys. I think that he didn't serve so well today, actually, because he missed a lot more first serves than ‑‑ I was pretty surprised.
But of course when he's in the rally with you and then he's playing really good behind your body. When he hits on my forehand, I hit forehand, and then I run to middle and then he hits again in the same corner, so you are ‑‑ that's, I think, his best thing that he does.
Q. Did you think that if the tiebreaker would have fallen into your hand then the match could have been yours?
ERNESTS GULBIS: If I would win tiebreaker it would have been different fourth set. But it's always difficult to say which point was the deciding one in the match.
Of course it was ‑‑ I think also important point was second set when I had 1‑0 up, the beginning of the set, Love‑30. If I would take that game 2‑0, you know, my serve, I could make 3‑0, for example, it would be a different game. It's a difference of one game, you know?
Okay, second set was a little bit bad for me, but third set was close. And on tiebreaker he just showed that he can play important points the way he can play them, without mistakes, and that's it.
Q. Who is the most popular sportsman in the history of your country? You don't know?
ERNESTS GULBIS: To be honest, people are really happy for any sport which is good because we don't have so many top athletes to choose from. I know, for example, in Austrian tennis, they have three guys who are top hundred, and the people, they are not really popular. Because for example, they a player who was No. 1, and now they have three guys who are really good, and they are not so popular.
In Latvia it's different because they really appreciate when somebody makes it to the top level in sports. I don't know who is more popular.
Q. Maybe you?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Maybe me, but I don't know if I am most popular. Of course tennis gets more popular in Latvia; that's for sure. But to be most popular, it's not what I can say.
Q. But before you in the history, say 10, 15 years ago, was there ever one famous Latvian athlete, very, very famous in any sport?
ERNESTS GULBIS: You mean ‑‑
Q. Basketball player, soccer player from Latvia ten years ago, five years ago?
ERNESTS GULBIS: I can't say just one. Every time in Latvia it was popular hockey, basketball, football, and Latvians are really big fans of hockey. When it's the world championship, all of the players on the team are really popular for that time. It's like periods of time. If it's a hockey championship, then they are popular. It's like this.
It's tough to say who is the most popular. It's not a goal that somebody has to be popular.
Q. No one has won some Olympic medals?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Of course there were some Olympic champions, but that's also ‑‑ that's like, that period of time, he's the most popular.
Q. Where are you going next? Which are your main goals this year? Where do you expect to get?
ERNESTS GULBIS: You mean ‑‑ I don't have a goal to be in a certain position in the rankings. I have a goal to play better and better throughout the season because the beginning of this season was unlucky for me. I had some injuries and some problems.
But now I think I'm on the right way. I played better and better every month. I'm going to play Bastad now and Sweden. I'm going back on clay for one tournament. And then it's starting in the Masters Series, Toronto and Cincinnati and Hartford.
Q. Olympic games?
ERNESTS GULBIS: Probably Olympic games.
Q. Who will carry the flag for your national team?
ERNESTS GULBIS: No idea, no | I like him saying he thinks Rafa is a tougher opponent than Djoke.  |
