I’m really, really emotional.
Some people may learn something from the way I play tennis. But there are also players who are better than me in certain techniques.
I have the same bedroom I’ve always had. It’s clean and tidy when I get home, and after two or three days it gets messy and my mother nags me.
Even if I have already peaked, I have to believe I can improve. I wake up every morning, and go to practice, with the illusion that I’m going to get better that day.
With Almagro, boy, that’ll be a tough match. He’s playing at a very high level right now and he hits the ball hard.
Tennis is a hard sport. There is a lot of competition all year and you play alone.
Honesty, willingness to exert oneself, friendship – all these things shaped me too.
Tennis is a psychological sport, you have to keep a clear head. That is why I stopped playing.
You know, a lot of things changed. What never changed is the illusion to keep playing tennis, the illusion to keep doing well the things, and the illusion to be in a good position of the ranking and play these kind of matches.
I have a lot of respect for Liverpool fans and what I did, the sign of silence – ‘shut your mouth’ – was not for them, it was for the English press.
The favorite is always the No. 1. I can win. Blake can win. But the favorite is the No. 1.
Tennis has to be very careful.Not everyone is a computer, it is very good we have John McEnroe. I hope we have a couple more.
I like a lot of sports. Especially football – it’s my favourite sport. My uncle played football in Barcelona for nine years and played for Spain in three World Cups.
The US player Andy Roddick reaches speeds of 220 kilometers per hour when he serves. If I train with him every day, I will later be at an advantage against a player whose service crosses the net at 190 kilometers per hour.
Since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to do sports for a living. In the beginning, I played a lot of soccer, but in the end I chose tennis. I love sports in general … But tennis is my passion.
Two weeks ago, I was in a fantastic situation, winning at Roland Garros. Now, losing in the first round, it’s tough. The tour continues. Life continues. This is a sport of victories, not a sport of losses. Nobody remembers the losses. I don’t want to remember the loss.
In the second, I told myself just to hold my serve and try and be aggressive on his serve, and hopefully get a break. I also applied more topspin on my forehand. Once I won the second game after being 0-30 down, my confidence also went up.
It is unbelievable to me that I can win against the best player in the world, against one of the best in history. It’s very important and very special for me, especially because I was three months off the court.
It’s important for the young players to practice other ball games as well, basketball or table tennis. On the tennis court, you can improve your eye through a kind of overexertion.
Certainly I would like to have some of the qualities of other players and obviously from Roger Federer. But believe me, there are plenty of other abilities that are important, particularly mindset and strength.
I go to the gym, I swim daily and from time to time I meet with friends and do extra-curricular stuff.
Money plays an important role in football but it is not the dominating factor. When Chelsea play a Carling Cup game in a small city and it could result in a draw – the excitement, the spirit, the atmosphere – that’s the real beauty of football in England.
