Rafael Nadal

I take pleasure in tennis and the hope that it requires.

I’d rather lose an argument than get into a long discussion in order to win it.

I need to improve, I want to improve, and to be able to stay in London and play on grass before Wimbledon is a very good opportunity for me.

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

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 always searching for new music, and I change what I listen to on a regular basis.

I am thrilled to be the new team captain. I am sure that the pressures I’ve faced on centre court will stand me in good stead to battle it out against Ian and his team.

We’ll try and be very aggressive, we’ll try and speed up and change gears, and we’ll see who’s going to win.

As a tennis player you can win and you can lose, and you have to be ready for both. I practised self-control as a kid. But as you get older they both – winning and losing – get easier.

I normally listen to Spanish music – well, Latin music. I like a lot of singers.

The boys are so powerful off of the baseline now that they don’t have to come to the net to finish points. That’s the reason we went to the net. To finish the point. Nowadays, even the big guys can hit winners four feet behind the baseline.

The goal is to win. It’s not about making money. I have many much less risky ways of making money than this (buying Chelsea football club). I don’t want to throw my money away, but it’s really about having fun and that means success and trophies.

Tennis is a psychological sport, you have to keep a clear head. That is why I stopped playing.

It is the small steps which bring you satisfaction at the end of the day.

The fifth set is not about tennis, it’s about nerves.

Before, I wouldn’t have sacrificed anything for tennis but when I met Barbara it was different. I would have sacrificed tennis for Barbara.

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.

I learned during all my career to enjoy suffering.

I used to wear sleeveless T-shirts all the time on court, but now I’ve got a brand new look – I’ve moved on to polo shirts. Sleeveless T-shirts give you real freedom of movement and they keep you cooler in matches, but I just thought it was time for a change.

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.

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.