Rafael Nadal

It’s already a great feeling to be third on the list. To get past Borg, I will have to reach the final in Barcelona next week. It won?t be easy. I could lose any day. But if I am 100 per cent I know I have a great chance of winning.

I always think about victory. It was very important for me to stay in this final. If I play my best I have a chance (against Federer). I’m going to play aggressively, with determination.

If you want to belong to the best, you need good technique and, perhaps even more importantly, a good eye. If you see the ball sooner, you have more time to think about how and where to return it.

Hard courts are very negative for the body. I know the sport is a business and creating these courts is easier than clay or grass, but I am 100 per cent sure it is wrong.

I learned during all my career to enjoy suffering.

I only ever run when there’s some point to it – say, if it’s in a game of tennis.

I go to the gym, I swim daily and from time to time I meet with friends and do extra-curricular stuff.

I am not the most courageous guy in the world outside of the court.

Look at my haircut. I am ready for the war.

Don’t think about being the number one in the world, try instead to get through today’s program as well as you can. Then we will see whether one day you’ll end up as number one or number 100.

I just try to win the match by fighting for every point, and running down every ball.

I don’t have any idols, any heroes, nothing, no.

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 learned during all my career to enjoy suffering.

[Roger Federer] We have a guy from Switzerland who is just playing the game in a way I haven’t seen anyone – and I mean anyone – play before. How fortunate we are to be able to see that. If he stays healthy and motivated – and the wonderful feel he has stays with him – he is the kind of guy who can overtake the greatest.

Its silly to say it about a tennis player, but Im an unbelievable hero in Germany. And Germany needs heroes more than any place.

I go to my favourite tournament, I talk about my favourite sport and it’s just a great month of parading.

I became a player who goes to a lot of effort while training, who can rely on his will and his mental strengths.

I’m lucky enough to do what I like for work – not everyone’s that fortunate.

I tried to find a solution to the problem that I had, tried to find a way to start playing better.

It should not be a child’s only goal to become the best player in the world. That would be a bad, a harmful attitude.