Rafael Nadal

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.

My motivation is tomorrow, just one day at a time, right?

I am afraid of a lot of things. A dog. I could be afraid of a dog that’s upset, for example. And on the tennis courts, maybe on the outside I look fearless, but on the inside, I’m scared. There’s not one player in the world who isn’t nervous before matches. Especially important matches.

I doubt about myself. I think doubts are good in life. The people who don’t have doubts I think only two things-arrogance or not intelligence.

You just try to play tough and focus point for point. Sounds so boring, but it’s the right thing to do out there.

No one is perfect. Everybody does stupid things.

Every girl has her own character, every boy his own mind.

Because, to give a goal, the ball must be 100% in and he must be 100% sure that the ball is in.

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.

I swim almost every day, a thousand meters.

Some clubs are treated as devils, some are treated as angels.

If the plane moves, some turbulence, I am nervous flyer.

In Majorca, I can be myself. I go to the supermarket and the cinema, and I am just Rafa. Everyone knows me, and it is no big deal. I can go all day – no photographs.

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.

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

I admire a lot of people, but in terms of sport I’ve always loved the mentality of Tiger Woods on a golf course. I always love his eyes when he’s setting himself and focusing on his decision; he has a really strong, focused face and believes that he can make the shot.

The eyes of some of the fans at Davis Cup matches scare me. There’s no light in them. Fixed emotions. Blind worship. Horror. It makes me think of what happened to us long ago.

Every time you are not practicing someone else is.

Something that works for one person could be a disadvantage to another.

I haven’t lost a war. No one got killed. I just lost a tennis match.

Some people get very confused about my game. They think it’s better if the court is slow, because I have a good defence. But the faster it is, the better for me. My spin is more painful for my opponents, my aggressive game works better.