Rafael Nadal

I like fishing. Not actual fishing – I like the peace and quiet of being at sea. It’s different.

I have been learning English on the road since I started when I was 15, so it is a slow process but making some progress. Now I think I am much more comfortable with my English. However, it is difficult, still, when I speak about something that is not tennis.

I am lucky because my family are comfortably off. My father has his own glass business.

I will work day after day like I did my whole life … I’m not going to change anything.

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

If I am not playing at one hundred percent, it is going to be very difficult for me to win.

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.

It’s more a tennis problem than a mental problem. The transition is difficult. It depends how much time you have. Playing on grass can sometimes be a bit of a lottery.

I don’t really care what the man on the street thinks. I never did anything to please him in the first place, and I’m not going to start now.

The first match is never easy. To play three sets with some important moments, that’s important for the confidence.

My parents’ divorce made an important change in my life. It affected me.

It is important to recognize the small successes.

The only way of finding a solution is to fight back, to move, to run, and to control that pressure.

Girls had never been important. I’d had a girlfriend or two and had liked them a lot but it wasn’t love, because my first love was tennis.

I’m not the best player in the history of tennis. I think I’m amongst the best. That’s true. That’s enough for me.

I was passionate about soccer. I still am. Odd, though – playing soccer always made me much more anxious than playing tennis. On soccer days, I’d be out of bed by 6 in the morning, all nervous. But I was always calm when it was time for a tennis match. I still don’t know why.

I will do as I usually do. Tomorrow is going to be a day like any other day.

You learn their honesty, you learn their competitiveness. You learn a lot about a person. It’s not that they have to sink the putt and there’s a great deal of talent involved – but you do learn about how competitive a person is on the golf course, and frankly, how honest.

How does one control weight? By not overeating. How does one stay in shape? One plays sports. There are no magic pills here.

We should try to teach the young people values that are useful to them whether they become professional athletes or not.

I love the winning, I can take the losing, but most of all I Love to play.