Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parerais a Spanish professional tennis player currently ranked world No. 4. He is widely regarded as the greatest clay-court player in history, and owing to his dominance and success on the surface, he has been titled "The King of Clay". His evolution into an all-court threat has established him as one of the greatest players in tennis history, with some considering Nadal to be the greatest player of all time...
NationalitySpanish
ProfessionTennis Player
Date of Birth3 June 1986
CityManacor, Spain
CountrySpain
In the second, I told myself just to hold my serve and try and be aggressive on his serve, and hopefully get a break. I also applied more topspin on my forehand. Once I won the second game after being 0-30 down, my confidence also went up.
I think it is unbelievable to win against the best player in the world - perhaps the best in the history of the game. It was also special because I was out of the game for more than three months. I cried because I was happy.
I am decidedly unfriendly during a golf game, from the first hole to the last.
Some people get very confused about my game. They think it's better if the court is slow, because I have a good defence. But the faster it is, the better for me. My spin is more painful for my opponents, my aggressive game works better.
My motivation and aspiration is the same, being number one or being number five. So that's the truth. And my goal is the same - it's to always be happy playing, it's to enjoy the game and improve always.
I only ever run when there's some point to it - say, if it's in a game of tennis.
My goal is to improve my game, stay healthy and be competitive. If I have that, I know I can be able to win tournaments, which in the end is what it counts.
The favorite is always the No. 1. I can win. Blake can win. But the favorite is the No. 1.
I have no interest in becoming a tax exile and living somewhere I don't want to - I just want to be at home with my family.
I'm very happy with how I played. I got some confidence back. My backhand was not 100 percent today, but it was good.
I need to improve, I want to improve, and to be able to stay in London and play on grass before Wimbledon is a very good opportunity for me.
The record of Borg and Vilas? I have thought about it.
This was the toughest match of my life, ... I want to thank the fans, without whom I would have lost.
This was the best match of my career. It was such a tough match. I'm so happy to have won, it's unbelievable.