Rafa Nadal was the featured guest of The anthill at the premiere of the 19th season of one of the most recognized entertainment programs in prime time on Spanish television. The Balearic tennis player chatted for a few minutes with Pablo Motorcycleshost of the show, and reviewed several current topics, such as sinner case and his positive doping result, as well as other daily problems, his family and, of course, also his professional future.
Goals and withdrawal from the US Open
“Today it’s easier than before. I live in a different time than I did 3, 4 or 5 years ago. I had many physical problems, a major hip operation. I had taken this season as a goal until the Olympics and once they were over, it was a matter of analyzing what I felt. “I saw everything very tight, 5 sets, hard court… it was a decision I had made.”
Olympic ceremony
“I felt very grateful to Paris for giving me that moment and giving me something that will be for the rest of my life and later, before going up the stairs to the stage where Zidane passed the torch to me, I was excited. A lot of emotion before leaving, but when you leave, I enjoyed the moment, which is something unique and that never comes back.
Positive by Jannik Sinner
“I have a virtue or a fault, I believe in the good faith of people. I don’t think Sinner wanted to do drugs and justice is justice and I don’t think we should only love him when the problem is solved as we think. I believe in justice and I believe in organizations that have to make decisions and make them based on what they believe is fair. I think that if they didn’t sanction him, it’s because they think it’s not enough. I think that yes, the opinion of others is completely respectable.
Reaction to the public
“I feel ashamed. It’s one thing when you’re playing, but when you feel like the center of attention, I haven’t lost the shyness I had as a child. In Rome, after the beatings they gave me thinking it was my last game there, there was a bridge that we crossed where there were a lot of people and when I passed by saying hello, it was difficult for me because I didn’t really know what to do. I feel out of my natural habitat, but I try to react, even though I often don’t know what to do. I really appreciate the love you give me around the world. In Spain there’s no doubt about it, but in France and Paris it’s something very special. The first two years were more complicated for different reasons, but later it was an impressive story and I felt very loved and supported.
Curious receptions
“When I get on the plane, sometimes they say to me, ‘Let’s go Rafa’.”
The double with Alcaraz in Paris
“In doubles things change very quickly, we knew we had to play with very fast energy to counteract the gaps we had and we tried, we lost but it was a super cool experience.”
Worst place to get hit by a ball?
“There is one that is painful (laughs). It is more common that they hit you if you play very little than if you play a lot because you already know more or less where they can throw you. But sometimes you don’t control it and it can happen.”
Comparisons with Alcaraz
“I don’t think it will hurt him. Carlos is good enough that it won’t affect him. He has to continue on his path, it’s a great coincidence that after a career like the one I’m having, someone like Carlos comes out. “It’s difficult for a player who will surely be one of the best in history to emerge after me in the same country.”
The Olympic Village
“In the Olympic Village we didn’t even have a table to play Parcheesi. In terms of comfort and rest, it’s worse than what you’re used to, but if you go to the Olympics you have to go to the Olympic Village, because it’s once every four years. I’ve always been to the Villa and I’ve always enjoyed it. “It’s a bit chaotic, you have to organize for thousands of people, but you get used to it, the next day it’s less of a disaster.”
Retirement from tennis
“I understand. It’s been many years, I’ve been through many physical problems, especially in the last two years. The question is normal but I can’t live daily thinking about withdrawal. What I did was give myself a margin, give myself the opportunity to enjoy tennis and that’s what I do, enjoy the day to day and I always say the same thing, let me make my decision when it’s clear to me. . I said don’t give myself withdrawal every day because I end up believing that I have to retire.
“No target” in 2024
“Right now, the goals I set for the year have been achieved, I was hoping to be healthier than I was, it’s been difficult for me. I arrived at Roland Garros at the right time, I didn’t have a very good draw and on the first day they sent me home. “Now I’m giving myself my time, I’m enjoying other things but I’m training every day.”
Relationship with Roger Federer
“It’s hard to be a true friend to a rival. Roger is a great teammate, we’ve competed for a lot of things over a lot of our careers and I think normal people end up having a great respect and appreciation for their rival. “I think we handled our rivalry appropriately.”
your son
“It has absolutely changed me because I can lose but coming home changes the mood. On a sporting level, it has radically changed me. I always say to him “Dad, a potato” because almost when he came into the world, we had hardly won any matches.
