Excellent interview with Rafa, translated by the wonderful nou.ami for VamosBrigade.
An interview with Rafael Nadal in Acapulco
Acapulco | 28 Feb 2019
By
Enrique Yunta | Translated by nou.amic for
='http://www.VamosBrigade.com]www.VamosBrigade.com
It was already dark in this sensational corner of the Pacific when
Rafael Nadal finished his practice with David Ferrer on one of the courts furthest from the Pegaso Stadium in Apaculco, embraced his friend, who he had beaten in a one set match, and then attended to the local press who had been expecting him for days..
Once he had finished the press conference, now after nine at night, he invited ABC to accompany him in the car he had been assigned to the villa where he was staying, for in Acapulco he is put up in the most exclusive part of the Princess hotel, in an amazing house right on the edge of the beach smelling of the sea, something basic in his life. He asks how the newspaper is doing and gives answers on whatever topic comes up, speaking more as a citizen than as a tennis player. Because Nadal, as he himself says, is an ordinary person who is concerned about everyday things, what is going on in Spain and abroad. And then there is the tennis, of course, improving as much as he can on an extraordinary career which is getting closer and closer to its end, but is more alive than ever. He feeds it with his passion.
What signs do you get that you're 32 years old?
-Bufff. Well, personally I don't feel it in the day to day work, not too much. What is true is that as you analyse the things that have been happening, you realise there have been more glitches than you wanted. This past year, for example. There are times when you get tired of seeing so many things happening one after another. But, fortunately, my enthusiasm is unimpaired, my desire to go to practice and really enjoy myself is still there. More especially when I'm fit and well, of course.
Can mind be put over matter?
- That depends. Of course, if you're body won't let your mind act, you can do no more there. But I do dare to say that, with certain qualifications, your head can rule over your body. If you tear a muscle, your head counts for nothing, no matter how focused you are or how much heart you put into it. What your head does do is help you to return with energy and hunger and to maintain your enthusiasm.
Do you work on this aspect?
- I worked on it a lot as a youngster, but not now. Look, everybody works on the mental aspect in their daily work. I think it's vital not to put leisure before training. I think there's time for everything in this life. But I do the training and then the things I want to do, not forgetting what comes first.
Are you a tennis player all day long?
- No, not at all. I've never been that, not now nor in my whole life.
But for how long do you put it out of your thoughts?
- Of course I think about tennis, I think about it many times a day. I think about what I've done badly, what I've done well, about why one thing turned out like this for me and another like that... But I'm not obsessed about tennis and never have been. The thing is I've always been really determined to work hard and to be a better player. When you have that determination for both these things to occur, indirectly, you do at many moments think about what to do.
When was the last time you got angry?
-(Thinks for quite a while).
I don't know. Buff.. honestly, I rarely get angry. You know what happens. If I get angry it's usually just for a moment and then it's quickly gone. I really don't like arguing. If it's not absolutely necessary, I try to avoid problems. People say that when there's a problem you have to attack it, and I say that maybe it's better if you can avoid it. Avoid the confrontation, that is. Obviously. If there's something you don't like about somebody or they have done something to you, it can help to go and speak directly face to face to them about it. There's a series of things you have no other option but to solve like that, but many others are not so important. And, with all those less relevant things, I usually swerve to one side or the other and avoid the problem. Life is much more pleasant if one tries not to have problems or arguments.
It's very difficult nowadays not to have arguments or confront someone about something. Have you noticed there's a lot of tension?
- I personally don't like it. To be honest, it's not my style. I don't like continuous confrontation, about anything. In fact, I have followed the whole Catalonia issue and there comes a time when one doesn't understand why it gets so entangled. Without any doubt, there are times when it's necessary to argue and discuss, that there are different opinions to improve things, but, I don't like such very long drawn out confrontation at all. I'm sure whoever's in charge does some things well and others not so well. But I don't like this way of criticising everyone else. And everybody does it. Why should we be confronting one another all day? Society is being radicalized and I don't like it.
Are we creating a world of extremes?
- Well, I don't know if we're living in extremes. But, you know. It's so complicated to reach agreements because there's too much tension between everyone and, from my point of view, that's not good. It can't be good. There needs to be more respect and a willingness to move forward. And to move forward, you have to understand each other.
Do you talk about this with your folk. Do you discuss it with friends?
- Yes. We usually talk about life, what's in the news, what's happening.. Every day we comment on everything that happens on all levels: politics, sports, things about life, everyday things, what affects the family..
Do you like to be asked things that are not about tennis? Do you have to be careful what you say?
- First of all, I'm just another Spanish citizen and I'm interested in and worried about the things that happen to us, just like everybody else. We're also citizens of the world, we have our lifes. As I've said, before being a tennis player, I'm like you or anybody else.
But, do you hold back from saying certain things?
- Yes, obviously. Well, not in confidence when I'm with friends. But, when I'm in front of the media or people I don't know I'm more prudent and can't say certain things, or rather I don't want to say them because saying them wouldn't solve anything.
Have you ever been tempted by politics or do you prefer to keep your distance?
- Politics is a very important part of our society, but no, no it's not my field. It would be logical for me never to be in the world of politics. Well, never say never, but I think it's almost impossible. But if I was in politics, I'd try to do it another way, try to be more positive. Look, there's one thing I don't like: we're almost always talking negatively about our country. I personally travel to places all over the world each week and the citizens of Spain are not aware of everything we have, of how well we live in general terms. Of course there are people who have a hard time, no doubt about that. And of course there are things we need to improve, no doubt about that. We ought to be concerned about more people living better because that will make the country function better. Countries have problems when there are great differences, when there are rich people and far too many who have very little. That's when there is conflict. I'm not saying our country is perfect, but when you travel, you realise how lucky we are. In the standard of health care, of education.. There are many aspects of Spain that we're always criticising and I always say one thing: travel to countries we consider to be so far above ours and go to a hospital to see how things function there... We'll see then if they're as superior as is thought..
And you, a product of all Spaniards who rarely generates debate, are into all this debate about extremes.
- It's not that, either. Nobody creates unanimity. I've never manifested myself politically, I never will, but I believe in people more than any other thing. I don't like peope who see bad in everything. You might have an affinity with one party or another, what does that matter. What's important is that there's no confrontation, that they're not so illogical. Everyone is free to vote for or support whoever suits him and that is to be respected. What's important is that we all want a better country, a more just one, and that we help one another in order to improve.
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