YouCantBeSerious
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This is from Spanish website as.com. Original article:
http://www.as.com/tenis/articulo/nadal-sueno-ganar/dasten/20090201dasdasten_6/Tes
Nadal: "Winning here is a dream come true."
Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal acknowledged that winning the Australian Open, becoming the first member of the "Armada" to do so, has been "a dream" for him. He also said he was happy after achieving the sixth GS title of his career.
"This has been something very special, not just for me. Winning here, at a hardcourt Grand Slam, is like a dream. I have worked very hard in order to improve my tennis outside of clay courts. I am very happy for this title. Today has been a very emotional day for me. I was playing against the best player I have ever known, Roger Federer" said Nadal during a press conference.
The world number 1 lamented that today was a "hard" day for Federer, who wanted to equal the 14 GS title record of Pete Sampras. "Today was a very important day for him, but he is a great champion, the best, someone very important for our sport. That's why I feel for him, but it would also be right to congratulate him for all of his achievements", reiterated Nadal.
Although he considers his first GS in hardcourt to be "very special", he regretted not to have time "to enjoy it" due to being "very tired", and he pointed out that this match had its consequences. "When I got to the locker room I was dizzy. I was happy, but it has been a very tough match", he said.
On the other hand, he confessed being "happy" with his achievement today, but he also said that he wants to improve "day to day" in order to continue "winning matches and titles." "I know it is very difficult, each title is difficult. But I will continue trying. When I won my first title I didn't know if I would ever be able to win another one. You never know when it will be over. You always have to have caution, be humble, and keep working", he explained.
"When you win you still are the same person."
When he won at Wimbledon, he said he felt like a king, and when he was asked today about that statement, he simply said: "In Wimbledon I achieved a very important title for my career. But now I'm a little bit better than back then, no? When you win an important match you have to be very aware that you are still the same person as you were before it happened."
Nadal believed that Federer had made "more mistakes" than himself in the fifth set, and these mistakes proved crucial. "I played more solid than Roger and that's why I won the match. In the game where I got my first break he made a very important mistake on his backhand, and that was vital for me."
Regarding his physical issues during the match, he said that he "finished the match against Verdasco with the quadriceps and the tendon in my right leg very tight. In the third set, that started to bother me. I didn't actually get cramps, but I was concerned. That's why I requested the trainer. I didn't want to use up all 3 minutes of treatment because the match might extend for a long time, and I might need that time later. So I wanted to be able to use that trainer time later. I only needed some cream and to relax a little bit. The problems still remained there, but they weren't really a factor for me."
Also, he acknowledged that after his marathon match against Verdasco, he was "concerned" about his physical condition, but his uncle and trainer encouraged him. "Uncle Toni told me that I had to go all out for the battle, that I might not ever have an opportunity like this again, and that I had to never stop believing in victory. And I think that's what I exactly did up to the last moment", he added.
Finally, Rafa was grateful for the words that he received from mythic tennis player Rod Laver at the end of the match. "He told me that he had had a great time during the first four sets, and that I had played a great match, especially considering my semifinals match. It has been very tough. And he congratulated me. He also told me that there were 15,000 spectators in the audience, and that nobody moved a muscle until at least ten minutes after the match was over."
Nadal demonstrates his greatness
Rafa Nadal again demonstrated today his humility and human greatness, for which he is well known, when he comforted a crumbling Roger Federer that cried after the final match of the AO. The Swiss tennis player, after taking the microphone, could only say: "God, this is killing me" before stopping his speech after being overwhelmed by the emotion. Nadal, in a noble gesture, far from celebrating his title in Melbourne, gave Federer a hug, and commended his rival.
"Roger, I am sorry for today. I truly know how you feel. It is tough, but remember that you are one of the best in history. I hope I can play more matches against you", he continued. Nadal tried to comfort his rival, but this only caused Federer to shed even more tears. The audience acknowledged Nadal's effort and applauded him. Nadal closed his speech with loving and grateful words for his family, his trainer, his medical team, and everybody at the stadium. Any other emotions that he had, he saved them for the locker room.
http://www.as.com/tenis/articulo/nadal-sueno-ganar/dasten/20090201dasdasten_6/Tes
Nadal: "Winning here is a dream come true."
Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal acknowledged that winning the Australian Open, becoming the first member of the "Armada" to do so, has been "a dream" for him. He also said he was happy after achieving the sixth GS title of his career.
"This has been something very special, not just for me. Winning here, at a hardcourt Grand Slam, is like a dream. I have worked very hard in order to improve my tennis outside of clay courts. I am very happy for this title. Today has been a very emotional day for me. I was playing against the best player I have ever known, Roger Federer" said Nadal during a press conference.
The world number 1 lamented that today was a "hard" day for Federer, who wanted to equal the 14 GS title record of Pete Sampras. "Today was a very important day for him, but he is a great champion, the best, someone very important for our sport. That's why I feel for him, but it would also be right to congratulate him for all of his achievements", reiterated Nadal.
Although he considers his first GS in hardcourt to be "very special", he regretted not to have time "to enjoy it" due to being "very tired", and he pointed out that this match had its consequences. "When I got to the locker room I was dizzy. I was happy, but it has been a very tough match", he said.
On the other hand, he confessed being "happy" with his achievement today, but he also said that he wants to improve "day to day" in order to continue "winning matches and titles." "I know it is very difficult, each title is difficult. But I will continue trying. When I won my first title I didn't know if I would ever be able to win another one. You never know when it will be over. You always have to have caution, be humble, and keep working", he explained.
"When you win you still are the same person."
When he won at Wimbledon, he said he felt like a king, and when he was asked today about that statement, he simply said: "In Wimbledon I achieved a very important title for my career. But now I'm a little bit better than back then, no? When you win an important match you have to be very aware that you are still the same person as you were before it happened."
Nadal believed that Federer had made "more mistakes" than himself in the fifth set, and these mistakes proved crucial. "I played more solid than Roger and that's why I won the match. In the game where I got my first break he made a very important mistake on his backhand, and that was vital for me."
Regarding his physical issues during the match, he said that he "finished the match against Verdasco with the quadriceps and the tendon in my right leg very tight. In the third set, that started to bother me. I didn't actually get cramps, but I was concerned. That's why I requested the trainer. I didn't want to use up all 3 minutes of treatment because the match might extend for a long time, and I might need that time later. So I wanted to be able to use that trainer time later. I only needed some cream and to relax a little bit. The problems still remained there, but they weren't really a factor for me."
Also, he acknowledged that after his marathon match against Verdasco, he was "concerned" about his physical condition, but his uncle and trainer encouraged him. "Uncle Toni told me that I had to go all out for the battle, that I might not ever have an opportunity like this again, and that I had to never stop believing in victory. And I think that's what I exactly did up to the last moment", he added.
Finally, Rafa was grateful for the words that he received from mythic tennis player Rod Laver at the end of the match. "He told me that he had had a great time during the first four sets, and that I had played a great match, especially considering my semifinals match. It has been very tough. And he congratulated me. He also told me that there were 15,000 spectators in the audience, and that nobody moved a muscle until at least ten minutes after the match was over."
Nadal demonstrates his greatness
Rafa Nadal again demonstrated today his humility and human greatness, for which he is well known, when he comforted a crumbling Roger Federer that cried after the final match of the AO. The Swiss tennis player, after taking the microphone, could only say: "God, this is killing me" before stopping his speech after being overwhelmed by the emotion. Nadal, in a noble gesture, far from celebrating his title in Melbourne, gave Federer a hug, and commended his rival.
"Roger, I am sorry for today. I truly know how you feel. It is tough, but remember that you are one of the best in history. I hope I can play more matches against you", he continued. Nadal tried to comfort his rival, but this only caused Federer to shed even more tears. The audience acknowledged Nadal's effort and applauded him. Nadal closed his speech with loving and grateful words for his family, his trainer, his medical team, and everybody at the stadium. Any other emotions that he had, he saved them for the locker room.
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