“What is your feeling after this defeat against Alex de Minaur?
My feeling is good. Exactly what I was looking for. Sometimes I played at a fairly decent level. For me the main thing, unfortunately, was not to win but to come out of the tournament in good health. Today was not the day I had to give everything and die. This was not a time for heroism.
The message was clear before the tournament: don’t take risks, come out in good health. The important thing was to be able to play and I did it, which is good news. I had the opportunity to say goodbye to Godo (trofeo Conde de Godo, the name of the tournament) while playing. A week ago I thought I wouldn’t be able to play here anymore. You have to be realistic and do things carefully and logically. The reality is that once the first set was lost, the match was over.
“I can’t afford to play a two and a half or three hour match at a competitive level. It hurts, but that’s how it is.”
Why ?
As I said, the main thing was not to take any risks, even if it goes against my philosophy and my way of understanding the sport and practicing it. Today it’s like this. The important thing for me is to accumulate training days, matches, do things as I can and be able to feel more comfortable.
I felt a little easier today, I was a little quicker, I managed to push a little more too. But I can’t go three months without serving and come here and serve normally for two hours. We have to be realistic. I can’t afford to play a two and a half or three hour match at a competitive level. It hurts, but that’s how it is.
However, do you believe that this Barcelona tournament is going in the right direction in your reconstruction process, with a view to Roland-Garros?
Yes, 100%. That’s what I feel. I’m much more comfortable than I was a week and a half ago. For me, it was very nice to be able to play again. On a personal level, I would say that I came out stronger. 6-1 in the second set against a player of this level, as it was, that was what had to happen, but I took a step forward.
If my body allows me, I hope to go to Madrid next week. I now want to spend hours on the court, competing, training as I need. I hope to be competitive and I always want to believe that I can be competitive in a few weeks. My last goal is to give myself a chance to be at Roland Garros. »
2024-04-17 19:27:18
#Rafael #Nadal #defeat #Alex #Minaur #2nd #Barcelona #step
