Главная » 2017 » June » 23 » PHOTOS/VIDEO: Rafael Nadal's practice and interview at the Mallorca Open, 23 June 2017
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PHOTOS/VIDEO: Rafael Nadal's practice and interview at the Mallorca Open, 23 June 2017
After five days of practice at the Mallorca Open grass courts, where he is preparing his upcoming Wimbledon participation, Rafael Nadal spoke to the media and made an assessment of the tournament and also the possibility of preparing a grass court event at home.
“Being able to practice on a grass court here in Mallorca is a great opportunity”, said Nadal. “This is great news for the island, having a professional tournament here with people willing to invest. This is something to be proud and would be great if the people from the island responds attendance-wise.”
“The tournament is great. It is a lovely place. The courts are in a really god condition, specially knowing the weather and the heat. They have done a great job here. It is a fantastic tournament and I hope it will consolidate here.”
Since last Monday, Nadal has been practicing on the Mallorca Open grass, preparing his participation in Wimbledon, where he has been crowned twice in 2008 and 2010.
“For me the week has been positive, everyday I have been working a little bit more trying to remember the feelings I need on grass and adapt to it”, said Nadal, who will practice one last time tomorrow at 9.00 here at the Santa Ponsa Tennis Club. “I need time and days but I still have practices ahead in London. I hope that the two exhibition matches will help also”.
"There are quite a few days left to go on working. Obviously, my level now isn't enough to compete in Wimbledon in the way I want to. But there is still one day of practice left here in Mallorca, plus 7 days more in London, where I'll have to finalize details [to get ready]. I want to play matches, since here I've paid attention to specific things. I withdrew from Queens because I'd been thru very tough months, but it's obvious that I'd have liked to be there. Although having the [grass] courts here is of great help, it'd have been better for my preparation to play in Queens. Now I'm going to play 2 exhibition matches and I hope they're useful. In the end, I've been 2 years without stepping on grass. Let's see if I get to reach an optimal level with this week of intense practice."
Rafa on whether his knees have already been tested:
"I'm aware the knees have limited me a lot on grass for the past few years. They've prevented me from competing at optimal level & I always had to do it being quite diminished. I still have to see it [how the knees respond] because here I haven't forced myself too much. The adjustment's been progressive but the real test will come next week when I start playing practice sets with professional players. That's when I'll have to force myself & we'll really see how my knees hold. I trust they will. Then, results will depend on many factors. I only hope to be able to practice & compete freely, without limitation."
Rafa on his recent results in Wimbledon:
"In 2014 I reached R16 & it was my best result since reaching the final in 2011. Since then [2011], I had a lot of knee problems. In 2012 the knee was very bad. In 2013, too & I didn't compete well. In 2015, the knee was OK, but I had another kind of problems [mental issues]. And last year I injured my wrist before Wimbledon. I've been several years without competing well and that's a disadvantage with respect to those who have been doing it well year after year. For me it's important to have a good preparation & be competitive for the 1st match. It's a surface that's special & difficult for everybody It'd be vital to win the first two matches, as things get more normal after that."
