10 Questions for Rafael Nadal [ang]

Ciekawy wywiad, polecam lekture Wink

Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2007 By NATHAN THORNBURGH

He is the second best tennis player in the world. Now the Spanish master of the clay courts will try to beat out No. 1, Roger Federer, in the upcoming U.S. Open. Rafael Nadal will now take your questions.

They say you really admire Roger Federer. How can you have a rivalry with someone you admire? —Rafael Flores, San Salvador, El Salvador
Yes, I admire him, but there's really no rivalry. Roger is No. 1 in the world; I'm No. 2. I'm just trying to do everything I can to get as close to him as possible. But in general, I think you can maintain a rivalry while admiring your rival. When I play him, it's a special motivation to play better. On the other hand, it's just another match, no? There's a little more attention, maybe, but it's another tennis match.

Do you think your playing style relies a lot on physicality? If so, are you worried that your career might be shorter than other greats like [Andre] Agassi or [Ivan] Lendl? —Valentín Feito, Madrid
I started playing very young, and if my career ends short, then it would be because I started playing younger than almost anyone else. My tennis is aggressive, though I wouldn't say that it's more physical than technical. I rely more on technique than physique, but being physical is always a help to me.

Can you explain the decline in American men's tennis? —Randy Arnold, Chattanooga, Tenn.
[Andy] Roddick is No. 4, and [James] Blake is in the Top 10. So it's not bad, no? It's not the same as when [Pete] Sampras and Agassi were No. 1 and 2. But American tennis is working.

How do you feel about women tennis players earning the same salary as men? —Candyce Pecot, Los Angeles
I don't have much opinion about that. I totally agree that women and men are the same in all areas of life, but my opinion is that, well, if we are the same, then women should have to play best-of-five sets [instead of best-of-three] if they want to earn the same amount of money.

What do you think about the recent doping scandals in cycling? Do they affect the tennis world in any way? —Andres Valentin, Madrid
For one, tennis is a much cleaner sport than cycling. Cycling has seen a lot of people involved in doping recently. I think in general this is negative for the image of all sports, and anytime something like this happens, all athletes are damaged.

What's up with biting the trophy when you win a tournament? —Kylynn Fontaine, Bethlehem, Conn.
I started doing it one day when I won my first tournament. I continued. I don't know, I just prefer that to kissing the trophies. It's one of my trademarks.

Why wear the Capri pants that you have to constantly pull out of your rear? Why not shorts? —Sara Norm, Chicago
[Laughs.] It's not the fault of the clothes. It's a habit that I picked up when I was competing when I was young. I am trying to break the habit, but it's not easy.

If you could play against any player in history, who would it be? —Simon Coakley, Stanford-le-Hope, England
I'd choose [Bjorn] Borg. He had such an incredible mental approach to the game. He had ice in his veins, and I'd love to see what I could do against him. If I had to say, I suppose he'd win.

Are you still able to lead a normal life now that you're famous? —Cherie Snyder, Seattle
In Mallorca, I can live a normal life. I go to the supermarket without signing autographs. That's because in my small village, everybody knows everybody. The people know me not because I am a tennis player but because I am a guy from [my hometown] Manacor.

How long does it take you to recover from a tough loss like this year's Wimbledon final? —Ellen Polo, Warwick, R.I.
I give 100% on the court, so I do get upset when I lose. But it doesn't take me much time to recover. The first hours after the match are tough. After a while I forget, and I look forward to the next days back home in Mallorca. I love fishing and golfing there, for example—just being with my old friends. I'm a good loser.

Rafa, your "La Bamba" performance is a YouTube favorite. Who knew you had such talent? So tell me, which tv show do you think you could win, "American Idol" or " Dancing with the Stars"? —Sharon Roberts, Houston
I am very bad in both dancing and singing. If I have to choose, I am worse in singing. My dancing is not OK, but it's not worse than my singing.

You were seen cheering on Real Madrid when they played your home team of Mallorca. Why was that? —Rafael Flores, San Salvador, El Salvador
Mallorca and real Madrid are both my favorite teams. It just so happened that at that time, Mallorca wasn't going anywhere in the season, whereas madrid was playing for something very important. So I was cheering Madrid on. But I'm a fan of both.

What's the best part of being famous? Having fans? Having money? Being considered sexy? —Patricia Narvaez, Atlanta
The best is on the court and people applaud and cheer me on. It's a very special sensation, and I think it's the best part of being a tennis player.

How do manage not to go crazy with all those women after you?! It doesn't distract you from your goals at all? —Florian Wilisch, Paris
[laughs] No. I'm fine. I'm always very happy for having people who follow me. It motivates me, and I'm very thankful for it. It suits me well.

Do you ever talk about non-tennis things with Roger Federer? Are you friends? —Rosario Pacheco, Malaga, Spain
I suppose yes. We have a good relationship, we're friends. Although my English isn't fantastic, we certainly talk in the locker room.

What part of your game would you like to change the most? —Mari Carmen Carmona, Antequera, Spain
My serve. I'm always working on it harder, trying to get better. It's a technical problem, and it's difficult, but I am always working hard on it, every day.

Who's your favorite pro women's tennis player? —Charisse Yang, Chicago
I'm not watching a lot of womens' tennis, but I like the way Justine Henin plays.

How does it feel to be most likely the best Spanish tennis player ever at such a young age? —Sergio Núñez, Madrid
I honestly don't think much about those things. I'm just working daily in the present, to try to do everything possible get improve my game, to win another title. I can thing about those things after I'm done playing tennis.

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Jeszcze nie przeczytalam calego, ale Rafa to taki mily facet, swietnie to sie czyta. Pytanie o spodnie wymiata Wink

Nio wyrabane to o spodnie

w ogóle prawda fajnie sie czyta

"I don't have much opinion about that. I totally agree that women and men are the same in all areas of life, but my opinion is that, well, if we are the same, then women should have to play best-of-five sets [instead of best-of-three] if they want to earn the same amount of money. "

Zgadzam się w 100 % !

W ogóle super wywiad , dzięki Wink

Tez uwielbiam tenis JuJu Wink

"It's not the same as when [Pete] Sampras and Agassi were No. 1 and 2."

To jest smutne, ale prawdziwe.
Co do kobiecego tenisa to rowniez sie zgadzam.
Jak bardzo bym chciala zeby Rafa wystapil w tancu z gwiazdami Smile

nmzc

Dla mnie zbyt duża komercha Confused

Co tam ze komercha, ale na Rafe moznaby bylo popatrzec Wink

Ale wiesz skoro tak mowi to znaczy ze nie umie tanczyc, wiec nie wiem jkaby mu poszlo. Moim zdaniem do tanca trzeba miec taniec. Nie mozna tak po prostu wyjsc i dobrze tanczyc. Mam nadzieje, ze rozumiesz o co mi chodzi Smile

Tak zgodze sie, ale hmm troche by potrenowal i moze byc cos wyszlo Wink

A poza tym to on tak moze ze skromnosci mowi Wink

Oj tam on jest skromny, ale mysle, ze gdyby umial tanczyc to by powiedzial, ze umie i tyle Very Happy