Le retour de Rafael Nadal ce mardi était l'évènement tennistique de ce début d'année 2024. L'Espagnol a enfin retrouvé la compétition, à Brisbane ! Opposé à Dominic Thiem, contre qui Rafa a remporté deux finales à Roland-Garros, le Taureau de Manacor a montré qu'il revenait déjà à un excellent niveau avec une victoire 7-5, 6-1 en 1h28. Un retour à la compétition plus que convaincant pour l'homme aux 22 titres du Grand Chelem, qui n'a perdu que six points au service et concédé aucune balle de break. Des stats' impressionnantes pour un retour après un an sans jouer. Prochaine étape, jeudi contre Jason Kubler. Avant cela, Nadal est passé en conférence de presse pour revenir sur son retour réussi et livré ses impressions.
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00:00 I really think that I don't forget how to play tennis.
00:04 The only thing is it's going to be difficult to make it in a professional match and in
00:10 a very high level of tennis.
00:12 Because at the end you need to recover movement, something that takes time.
00:17 You need to recover the confidence on the movements, that takes time because at the
00:21 end after the surgery you feel scared sometimes to do a kind of movement.
00:26 Then you need to recover the speed on reading the ball and on making the things in an automatic
00:32 way.
00:33 Something that you need matches to make it happen.
00:37 To be on court and not need to think, now I need to do that, I need to do other things.
00:42 Things come automatic.
00:44 You need hours on court, hours on practice sessions but at the same time hours on professional
00:50 matches.
00:51 I am happy.
00:52 I don't know how I wake up tomorrow but I can say now I feel good.
01:01 I felt more or less free on court, that I can do the things that I need to do.
01:07 I don't finish the match with a bad feeling at all in terms of physical performance.
01:11 I always felt well when you have the people supporting.
01:17 In this moment even more.
01:22 The longer period of time without being on a professional tournament since I started
01:28 my tennis career.
01:31 It's an amazing feeling to come back and to feel the crowd supporting even more than before.
01:41 I think it's been a lot of effort from my side to try to come back in a professional
01:51 match and probably they get that point.
01:55 You've had a lot of time to focus on this one comeback match but the level that you
02:04 played at, did that surprise you because it was extremely high?
02:09 Well, I mean, anything can happen in these kind of days.
02:15 After such a long time without being in a professional tennis match you go on court
02:22 and you can't expect anything.
02:26 You can't expect amazing things but you can expect disasters.
02:32 It can happen.
02:33 You can expect a bad day and a normal and positive day and I think I have been in that
02:41 last thing, in a positive day even a little bit more.
02:45 I have been playing solid without making a lot of mistakes in terms of enforcing errors
02:52 but in terms of making bad decisions.
02:55 I think I didn't make a lot of bad decisions choosing the shots that I have to play.
03:01 It's something difficult after such a long time, something that I'm happy with.
03:06 You said in the lead up to this that you weren't putting big expectations on yourself or anything.
03:12 You spoke about just then there were some things you were really pleased with.
03:15 Did you tick off all the boxes that you wanted to tonight in your first game back and what's
03:20 next in your progression in the lead up between now and the Australian Open that you want
03:24 to see in your game?
03:26 I have been honest and for me nothing changed.
03:30 It's only a positive start.
03:35 It's just one match after a year that I played I think quite well honestly.
03:45 If we take all the circumstances that have been before that match, it has been a very
03:55 positive match but it's just a match.
04:02 The most important thing today is to stay healthy honestly.
04:10 My way to approach that didn't change at all after this match.
04:17 My way to approach it is to try to enjoy every single day that I have the chance to be on
04:23 court.
04:25 If I am able to play more matches it will be more helpful in terms of recovering things
04:31 that of course you need to recover if you want to be competitive.
04:37 For me my goal is still medium term, in a couple of months to try to be competitive
04:44 again.
04:45 Now if I am competitive, fantastic.
04:47 That is something that for me is going to be a big surprise if I am competitive in a
04:54 good level.
04:55 Let's see.
04:56 Day by day.
04:57 Today is a positive day.
04:58 Let's see after tomorrow.
05:01 Rafi said it was an emotional time for you tonight.
05:05 Can you take us into just before the match?
05:07 Did it feel familiar?
05:08 Were there some different nerves than you're used to?
05:13 How was it in the tunnel before the match?
05:16 I think it's something very easy to explain.
05:18 When you are doing things that you are not used to do you have more nerves than usual.
05:27 When you are doing a thing almost every day you know more or less what's going on.
05:34 You can play a little bit better, a little bit worse, but you have a standard that you
05:39 know you're going to reach that level.
05:42 In that case it's a combination of things.
05:45 First thing, the emotions to be back on court after a long time and after a very tough process.
05:50 Second thing, the doubts about your physical performance.
05:59 And third thing, it's about you go on court.
06:02 I know I have been practising OK last week.
06:06 Practising I think at a positive level.
06:09 You go on court and you have the doubts if you're going to go there and it's going to
06:15 be a disaster.
06:17 Because it can happen, honestly.
06:18 It's not a thing that I am saying here to protect myself at all.
06:23 I don't need it.
06:24 I am not here to use any excuse at all.
06:28 I know what's going on.
06:30 Myself, people who have been next to me knows how I felt one month and a half ago.
06:38 I am talking with a hand on the heart, being very honest with all of you.
06:45 So it's normal that you go on court and you have more nerves than usual because you really
06:51 at the end, you hope that you're going to play at a decent level.
06:55 But inside yourself you know that can be a disaster.
06:58 And that of course worried me.
07:01 Rafa, you have a lot of experience unfortunately, missing a lot of time and coming back.
07:07 And it's still very difficult for you.
07:10 My question is about your opponent tonight, Dominic.
07:12 He's been trying for two years to come back to his best level.
07:16 Not your job as his competitor to help him.
07:18 But do you have any advice or any encouragement that you can offer to him to just hang in
07:24 there and maybe things will turn around for him?
07:27 Well I think for him, having a tough beginning after the injury.
07:33 That makes the things very difficult for him I think at the beginning.
07:37 Because I don't know if when he came back he was healthy enough to play, to feel himself
07:45 playing free.
07:47 And that probably affected him a lot at the beginning, losing a lot of matches in a row.
07:52 So then it's tough to recover the confidence.
07:54 It's not only recover your level of tennis, it's about recovering the confidence.
07:59 So I think the last year has been a positive year for him because after a tough period
08:04 of time he was able to come back to the top 100, something that is not easy.
08:10 And I think he started the year again with the ambition to make a positive year and to
08:19 finish the year with a much higher ranking.
08:21 That I think is something that should happen if he's healthy now.
08:25 I think the first set he has been playing at a very good level of tennis.
08:32 I think if he's able to win matches and to recover the confidence in himself, I don't
08:42 see him being in a ranking close to 100.
08:46 I see him in a much higher ranking, honestly.
08:50 Is the challenging thing for you now, Rafa, being able to play as well as that in the
08:54 next round and the day after that, given that you haven't played for a year, just the cumulative
08:59 effect of all of these matches on your body?
09:04 The first thing, and I repeat it, is to stay healthy.
09:07 If I am able to stay healthy, I am able to practice at the level that I need to practice.
09:13 If I am able to play matches, feeling myself ready to play the match.
09:20 Then the chances to be competitive in a not very long period of time are much higher.
09:31 If after tomorrow you go on court and you have problems, then the process is much tougher.
09:39 For me, the main thing is to stay healthy.
09:44 I really think that I don't forget how to play tennis.
09:47 I think it's going to be difficult to make it in a professional match and in a very high
09:53 level of tennis.
09:55 Because at the end, you need to recover movement, something that takes time.
10:00 You need to recover the confidence in the movements.
10:02 That takes time, because at the end, after the surgery, you feel scared sometimes to
10:07 do a kind of movement.
10:08 You need to recover the speed on reading the ball and on making the things in an automatic
10:15 way, something that you need matches to make it happen.
10:20 To be on court and not need to think, "Now I need to do that.
10:23 I need to do other things."
10:24 Things come automatic.
10:27 You need hours on court, hours on practice sessions, but at the same time hours on professional
10:33 matches.
10:34 I don't know what can happen.
10:35 Today is a day to be happy.
10:37 It's a happy day for me.
10:40 I have a day of tomorrow to keep practicing.
10:42 I am excited to have the chance to play another time.
10:47 That's for me the most important thing.
10:51 How does your body feel after that?
10:53 You're probably still not entirely cooled down, but were there any tweaks that bothered
10:57 you or everything goes as expected?
11:01 I am happy.
11:02 I don't know how I wake up tomorrow, but I can say now I feel good.
11:10 I felt more or less free on court, that I can do the things that I need to do.
11:17 I don't finish the match with a bad feeling at all in terms of physical performance.
11:25 I feel good.
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