The Rafael Nadal pre-tournament interview for Cincinnati 2022

Here is the full interview of Rafael Nadal before Cincinnati 2022 where He talked about his injury, being the world number 1, and sending a message to Carlos Alcaraz.

• How is the body how is the recovery in the last month?

“well a little bit long honestly, but, I need to go step by step to be completely honest and do the thing in the proper way, it’s gonna be the first week after a while, and always the abdominal strings are dangerous. I had to miss last week in Montreal so I’m here just to start my professional matches again but I didn’t play a lot at home, I practiced yet, but I could not play any set, so just taking things a step by step and hopefully to be competitive in the tournament,”

• you have obviously dealt with injury before, how do you set your level of expectation for what you wanna get out of this week in terms of managing your body, and what are you gonna need for the US Open?

“well, ATP Cincinnati is enough important to don’t take it as a preparation for anything else, but my situation says that it’s always difficult to come back, as an ATP Master because the level of the opponents is very high and very demanding from the beginning so you don’t need to practice from the first matches, You can manage to try to win a couple of matches and then start to feel yourself better after that, but in ATP Master that’s difficult, and roughly impossible and needs to be ready from the beginning, and let’s see I think am practicing very well, but it’s obviously anything can happen”

“I’m Confident I can play in a good level”

Rafael Nadal

• in a media live story, about the fact you can regain that number 1 ranking again this week, is that remotely on your mind?

well, I think it’s difficult for me to think about a title here coming from what I’m coming from, but in sport, you never know I just have to do things in the right way and put myself in a position to be competitive and to play at the right level, to give my self a chance to see how deep I can go

• I wanted to ask you about what Carlos Alcaraz said last week, after his loss He mentioned it was the first time He was not able to handle that pressure as it was the first time He faces it against a top seed, I’m wondering if you can place your self, what you might say to Carlos?

“I think He has the right people next to him and I don’t have to tell him anything until He asks me, but in that fact, when you are very young and coming and growing in ranking every week it’s a little bit easier now because you don’t have that pressure you have to win every week if you make Quarterfinals it’s great if you make semi-finals it’s great, If I make is fantastic if I win is amazing.“

“but when I was in that stage of my career, you don’t feel an obligation to win every week you just play free enough that everything is near, I don’t realize how difficult the things you are doing is, and enjoyed every match without pressure, but of course, in the right moment when you are very high in the ranking, you enter the tournament and the expectations are okay but I need the tournament but that’s a mental approach, but I don’t think it’s affecting him a lot, I think he is great and I don’t think that’s really a reason why He lost a match I think He is having an amazing season, and I don’t see him finding any problem handling the pressure.”