RN - Actually, I'm fine. But it's also true that we still must see how I keep evolving. Because I just started training a week and a half ago, and when you start training you always feel better mentally, and I have started with hope, but as I said, we still have to see how I evolve when I really push the knees, witch will happen in the next days, and hopefully everything will go well.
Q- (By Rosana Romero) Rafa, what happened? Suddenly, Wimbledon comes along and you say you are not able to compete, and you don't compete. What happened?
RN - Well, what happened was that I had been the same way several months. When I came back from Miami, training in Manacor, I started to have pain in my right knee, mainly, and it was a different pain than usual. I took off the tapes, which made everybody think things were perfect. And the problem was that the pain was no longer under the knee, but over it, and the tapes didn't help at all. From there things started to get worst step by step. We just kept putting on patches for the pain, as I have been used to play with pain for many years.
Q - Did you play RG with pain?
RN - The thing is, it came from MC. I played MC with pain, Barcelona with pain, Rome, also Madrid where I went to have some tests, because I realized things were going wrong. I didn't feel comfortable playing, I have played almost every day with anti-inflammatories, even sometimes being infiltrated at RG and I arrived too banged up to the tournaments for me, RG and Wimbledon. Also there comes a moment when you just get tired of playing with pain and not evolving, so in this case, I decided It was better to stop and try to recover, because you even lose your will "illusion" to train and compete, because you don't see yourself with the same energy, and it destroys you step by step.
Q - On that note, it's said many times that the head moves the legs. You were not mentally fresh either, you have admitted it. Does your family problem, that has been commented on, have something to so with that?
RN - Well, obviously my family has always been a srtong support for me, it's always been praised how I am who I am today thanks to my family and the atmosphere that has always surrounded me....
Q - You are the first son, the first nephew, the first grandson...
RN - Right, the first everything of the family and all that has helped me a lot to arrive where I am, for sure, and well a moment comes when some changes happen in the family, and I'm obviously human and in the beginning it's tough to ... to not accept ... but get used to, and I personally feel it more because I'm not at home., But that's not what has affected me, because that happened some months ago, and I won IW, MC, Barcelona, Rome, but the real problem were the knees. It obviously doesn't help, but you can live with that other stuff and I consider myself a positive person, and I have totally, well, almost, gotten over that. It's a new situation and we have to learn to live with it.
Q - You don't specially like to talk about your family your entourage.
RN - No I have never talked about my family or anything personal, and I have liked to extend myself talking about this and to be honest, my real problem are my knees. That's why finally stopped, no need to give it more thought, and that (the knees) is what mentally keeps destroying you, because you feel defenceless, you feel that in the end, it's too much of a struggle every moment. I personally enjoy the bad every day, you can't move well, every match is a different story and you don't know how you're gonna feel, in the end your head is full of doubts, and you can't live with that in a competition as tough as tennis with those problems. That's why I decided to stop in that time, and I hope it has been positive.
Q - It's been 2 months, which is very unusual in tennis players of your level. What have you done these 2 months? What have you missed?
RN - Well, at the beginning I wasn't willing to do much, because I felt bad. I was disappointed, mentally touched, and I felt I hadn't done things the way I should with my schedule, which was my mistake, as I'm the one that make the decisions in the end and the problem is mine for, maybe not knowing when to stop, when to rest. Is difficult to know because I have been through these many things so many times, playing with pain and most of the time coming through in the end.
Q - (Rosana Romero) What I realize is that your perspective, your way to take your job has changed this couple of months.
RN - I don't think so, but it's true always said you must learn from your mistakes, and I must try not to repeat things that have gone wrong, and value certain situations with more caution, which maybe I wasn't used to, as I'm used to give everything always.
Q- In these 2 months, have you had vacation time?
RN - Unfortunately not much, I've made many hours of rehab with several machines on my knee, to a total time of 5 and half hours each day, plus one that I sleep with, which obviously doesn't affect my daily routine. I have many hours of work and I sincerely haven't enjoyed myself as much as I would have liked to, because you know me, and I have problem keeping still and to not do anything, I'm quite an active person, I like to do several things, specially playing football in the beach in the summer, I haven't been to the beach a single day, except with the boat, but to go to the beach and watch my friends play football while I'm lying on the beach I prefer to stay here. Not so much of sacrifice, it's what it is, and you have to go through these situations in life.
Q - These are obviously bigger sacrifices in life, but I mean you have an enormous ability to sacrifice?
RN - No, I was just told not to do many things, and be as still as possible, and that's what I've done. I've spent more hours on the couch these couple of months than in the last 4 years.
Q - I want to ask you about your mental strength, that makes you able to win a set when you are 0-5 down.... What do you think in these moments. Do you think about the opponent, his weaknesses and strengths?
RN- That happens very few times. Most times, when I'm doing that bad, I think "I've lost".
Q - What is, for you that mental strength we all talk about when we refer to your game?
RN- The mental strength is being able to overcome difficult situations, or even more being able to face difficult situations with a positive attitude. As I said before, learning to enjoy the struggle is a very important thing, because many times you have long 5 set matches, that are decided in the end by a couple of points, and you must be able to keep your focus. That extra something is what makes you win, and that's a work of years, I've worked the mental side my whole life, specially my Uncle has trained that always, or almost always, have been ready to fight. I think that not fear to lose, but that absolute respect for your opponents has made me win a lot of tough matches. That respect I have towards my opponents has 2 sides, as it sometimes makes me have more doubts before a tournament. For example right now I'm in a sea of doubts.
Q - Are you afraid of coming back?
RN - Not afraid but....
Q - Maybe some doubts? But it happens to you many times before you start a tournament.
RN - Many times, I'm not afraid but it depends on the moment, as right now I haven't competed in 2 months. My main concern right now is having my knees in the right shape, because when I look at my numbers in the past years, it gives me confidence to know that things have worked well when I've been alright. I know that's not forever, but I'm confident it will last for some time. I have worked for this my whole life, and I still do, and I'm not gonna lack anything in that department, but the truth is I haven't competed in 2 months and when you return, it's always....
Q - And what is your goal now? In these 2 months, you have lost the #1 to Federer, that you had previously taken from him. Is the #1 ranking your goal?
RN - Not at all. My only goal as always, even if people don't believe it, is feeling right, being happy playing tennis, and improving. I know that if my knees are not in perfect shape I can't improve, because I can't train hard. So my first goal is getting the knees in perfect shape. Looks like I'm doing fine but I want to be sure I'm fine before I get back on court.
Q- When are you coming back?
RN - Even I don't know. I hope it's Montreal. In a week and half, but I'll also tell you in the next 3 days I'm gonna push my knees, because I'm not gonna go there without having tested myself, and if things go wrong and I'm not at the right level I won't and I know finding my form against top level competition is gonna be tough at the beginning. But my goal and my hope is to be there, but not to be #1.
Q - Out of curiosity, has Federer called you?
RN - I sent him a message after Wimbledon which he answered and sent him a message for the twins, he hasn't answered yet. But be must have thousands of messages.
