”When you know that something can be the last, of course it's exciting and special. They are different emotions. I had the chance to experience some great moments in Madrid. From the 2005 final to today. This is the end, and endings are always moving.”
Specific emotions conveyed by sport as the Majorcan highlighted after his success (7-6, 6-3): “One fantastic thing about sport is that it excites people. I'm not saying that for myself. The other day Real Madrid defended 120 minutes, won on penalties and everything was exciting. is the magic of sport and we experience it differently as a spectator or an actor.”
Which pushes the man with 14 titles at Roland-Garros not to get excited despite a convincing victory against a player against whom he lost ten days ago.
”I was able to endure a match lasting more than two hours, which was very important. But let's not get carried away by the emotion of a match, there are a lot of things to adjust. There are things I can't yet do as I would like. I have to be careful, the priority is that nothing serious happens physically. That my body held up for two hours against Alex is a step forward. One match is not going to change my perspective. I need to regain confidence in my body.”
In terms of his tennis, Rafael Nadal must also adapt to a reality different from that of his great era: “Over the last two years I have spent very little time on the circuit. Now I've been there for three weeks and it helps me read the game better. There are times when I would like to turn the ball more from one side to the other, but I still can't do it . I had to offer a little slower tennis. I have to think more tactically, so that things don’t happen too quickly, to have more time.”
The positive point for Rafa in Madrid, where he will challenge Pedro Cachin (ATP 91) this Monday in the 3rd round, is that he has found more aggressiveness on serve. “I can't act like a donkey because I haven't served for several months due to an abdominal problem, but I can serve. In Barcelona I had a lot of things to sort out. This week the service is put aside and I start the point differently.”
The final word going to Alex de Minaur who was the privileged witness of Nadal's evolution in ten days: “In Barcelona, he was not ready, it showed on the pitch. Here it was a very high level, very high intensity from the first point until the end.”
