(Apologies if these have been posted elsewhere already.)

ROGER FEDERER

Q. What happened to your forehand today?
ROGER FEDERER: Mistakes, few too many, I guess. I'm not happy about the performance of my forehand. Rarely it happens to me, because it's my best shot in the game. I guess it's a bit different against Rafael.
You got to keep on pushing, and I just missed a few too many to go a break down in the first set. Missed my opportunities in the breakpoints and then go breakdown in the second, os it was disappointing.

Q. Beside the forehand, what should you do to beat him on clay?
ROGER FEDERER: Not make those mistakes, you know, and use the chance when I had them early on. I was playing very easily solid and in the beginning, created myself chances. He didn't have any breakpoints.
Unfortunately it turned around with a few mistakes. But I feel this match gave me some information. I think I'm absolutely in the mix with him on clay, which is how I wanted to feel.
You know, it's always disappointing to lose, but I feel like I didn't play well and still it was close. That's a good thing.

Q. You played 19 sets against him and you won only 5. What that means? I mean, almost one out of three. That's big, big difference apparently. The reason, explanation is only technical or sometimes mental? Do you get nervous when things are not going well?
ROGER FEDERER: Are you talking about clay?

Q. Clay, clay.
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I don't know. You've seen his record on clay?

Q. Yeah.
ROGER FEDERER: Well, he's won a few in a row. He's an excellent player, let's not forget. You're talking like he's playing around with me. That's not the case. It came very close the last few times, but clay is his number one surface; it's not mine, and still I come so close.
It's for me a good still a good thing to do, you know, to play, I don't know, four finals in a row on clay now. Okay. I lost four times against Rafa. I'd rather have that than lose against four different guys.
I feel like I'm in good shape for the rest of clay court season, and it's going to come down to the French Open to see who wins.

Q. Is this where Tony comes in handy, where you can both analyze what you think is more information and use it on this surface, which you say is obviously the one you want to improve on?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, yeah, it's always good when you have somebody telling you from the outside. But I mean I also understand my game very, very well. I know what I'm going to have to work on in the next couple of weeks, and, you know, physically I feel fine. It was absolutely no problem today.
Of course it wasn't a four or five setter would have given me more information, and also physically. It's going to be interesting this year not having played any five setters going into the French Open, which we had last year here in the final and then also in Rome.
So that's going change, but we're definitely going to talk about and see what he thinks.

Q. What I meant before is that it is not mental, because even the serve, which has nothing to do or not much to do with Nadal it is not working as it usually does. I mean, you are bad percentage and second serve you lost a lot of points. Is it something that makes you more nervous or anxious when have to play him or not?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, he's a left handed player, so you serve differently. I mean, I don't know. Your questions are very strange today, seriously. You have to play different against Rafa than when you play against Ferrer or Ferrero.
I play 95% against right handed, so when I play left handed it's obviously a bit different. For him he plays right handed guys all the time so he doesn't need to adjust. So there he has I guess a little advantage.
This is what I'm trying to do over the last few years. I play better against lefties having a left handed coach. Hitting a lot of balls with him helps, too. So it doesn't come down to how I serve or do that, it's just about having a good day against him.
I've come very close and play very well against him, but on clay you need a really good day, you know.

Q. On the evidence of today and what you've seen generally this week of Rafa, do you think his game has gone on from last year, that he's better?
ROGER FEDERER: I thought he was playing identical to last year, to be honest. He's got such a solid base, you know, in terms of how he plays because he does it all year around already. He plays the same way.
I mean, it doesn't change for him on hard court or clay. Even on grass he plays the same way. So when he comes on clay the movement comes handy for him, too, because he's the No. 1 clay court mover to me. Obviously he's born on this surface so all of it works in his favor.
Look, he dominated everybody this week. I was expecting him to maybe struggle last year, but after he played so well again I see him strong against this year.

Q. Is there any new information you think you can carry forward today from what you found in the game?
ROGER FEDERER: No. But it's good for me to play against him. He sometimes makes me improve my backhand. I think that problem is solved for me. Today I started to miss on the forehand but, look, again, it can happen over a few minutes that you're going to have a downfall on one of your shots.
Again, you should try to avoid it, and that's going make you practice and make you a better player. I enjoy playing against him and I think the same for him. We can improve playing against each other. It was only two sets, so there's not too much you know, it was over in a hurry, so there's not too much we can say about it.


RAFAEL NADAL



Q. Next time you're going to play Federer on clay you cannot say you're not the favorite.
RAFAEL NADAL: I know now you're going to have this question for you. I'm going to have to say same, because, well, the truth is on clay I have I had a lot of titles. I am playing well. But in my opinion, the match of today was very open.
I don't know the chances for him or for me, but very, very open all the time. And, you know, if he was coming without losing a set, I was coming to the final too without losing any set, too. We have maybe the same options. Not the same chances for everyone, but he's the No. 1 of the of the world and he's the favorite.

Q. When you win a set and you won the first set today he gets demoralized. It almost seems like he doesn't think he can come back against you on clay. Perhaps on something else, but not on this surface.
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. But it was very important moment in the 4 3. Remember 4 3 in the first set? He has two breakpoints, I think. But I finally won this game. It was very important, because it was a tough moment for him. In 4 All he has some mistakes with the forehand. I can have the break and, okay, I'm finish the set with my serve.
After that, the match change a lot, no? I have a lot of chances for break in the first game. I have one chance with very difficult passing shot, but finally it fall a little bit in the net.
The second game I have break, but after I have in the 4 2 not very easy, but, well, forehand for I have the point can and to go up for a little bit.
So, well, I have the chance with 5 2 and the match was finished with 5 2 and two breaks. But finally he come back and win this game and the match was close in the end.
It was important game for me 4 3 in the second set. He has three mistakes. That give me a lot of confidence.

Q. But overall it was easier than expected for you, is it? It was two sets, one hour and a half. Did you expect such a game?
RAFAEL NADAL: I always expect very tough match, because I play with every time when I go on court I think it's going to be it's possible I'm going to have a very difficult match. Especially if you come to the court against the world No. 1 it's going to be tough.
So, well, I was with confidence because I was playing my best tennis this week. But I know he was very, very good, too. Finally I won in two sets, but sometimes the score is not the same like the match. The match was tough. I think the beginning he was playing better than me.

Q. Were you surprised he made so many mistakes with his forehand, because normally it's his best weapon?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I am trying I was trying put my forehand against his backhand and change to his forehand not a lot not much times, no?
But in the beginning he covered a lot his backhand. He touch a lot of forehands and it was very difficult for me. But I change a little bit and I tried to open the court with his forehand for after play to his backhand.
So, no, that was important tactic change, and well, the match change a little bit there. Well, it's true, he has some mistakes in the forehand that normally he doesn't have.
But I play good. I play always steady, consistent every point, I know that. So I was playing like this.

Q. What is your reaction to the idea that you played the five times you won five times against him on clay. You played 19 sets and you won 14. So he wins one set every three of yours.
RAFAEL NADAL: I never was thinking about that. I just know that I don't know. I know the truth is I won in the final tiebreak in the final of Roland Garros. I won with two matchpoints against him.
Rome, here I won difficult four sets. Well, every match is difficult. In Roland Garros two years ago I won in four sets, too. So every match is difficult. It's the first time when I beat him, no, sorry, second when I beat him with two sets when I won him in Miami, but long time ago. It's not the same, no?

Q. But the way you won today, you won very easily.
RAFAEL NADAL: Never easy.

Q. But it's a surprise or not, just the way you won?
RAFAEL NADAL: For sure it is surprise when winning in two sets against the No. 1, no? I expect a very tough match and it was tough. Because in the beginning I saw the match and, well, Roger was moving very good, attack me the ball. Going inside for plays his backhand.
It was tough for me in the beginning especially, no? But after he have some mistakes and I feel very comfortable on court but it was very, very difficult first set.

Q. You served very well today: 85% in the second set. Was it one of the keys in the game?
RAFAEL NADAL: The first serve.

Q. Yes, 85%.

Q. 74% in the first.
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I was serving slowly.

Q. Yes. But it was a tactic to do that?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I know, sometimes Roger play better if you serve fast. I know that, no? Because it's better for him the point is going fast than if it's going slow.
And if I serve slow I have more time for the next shot. So, well, my tactics is always have a lot of first serve percentage inside against him, because if I miss the first serve with the second serve it's difficult because he attack the point very well and very difficult come back for me in the point.

Q. Did your bandana fall off on accident? Was it an accident?
RAFAEL NADAL: For sure an accident. I was touching it like this, but

Q. So you knocked it?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah. I pull out and I go to the net after because

Q. (Indiscernible).
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, nice word. Because the point continuing with the hair in my face. Finally I decide to go in the net.

Q. So in Wimbledon you going to play with no bandana?
RAFAEL NADAL: Without?

Q. Yeah, so you can go more in the net.
RAFAEL NADAL: I'm going to try.

Q. So when is your next tournament?
RAFAEL NADAL: Barcelona.

Q. Obviously you have a lot of respect for Roger, but the game he plays on clay, is there an aspect that you think he may need to improve on the surface to get closer to you?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I don't know, no? He's very good. So I don't know. I really don't know, because I can't say nothing about him because going to be stupid, no? To be speaking against the (in Spanish.)
What can I say about ten Grand Slam against two? So, well, he's very good in also places. Last year he play three finals two Masters Series one Grand Slam on clay.
So this year he start well, no? He's not play bad play the first clay court tournament final, no? He start well without losing a set. Playing very good two matches against Ferrer and Ferrero. Tough opponents always on clay.
So I saw him on TV and I like a lot his game, especially against David Ferrer and Ferrero. Very, very good matches.

Q. Are you going to bring the Italian sparring partner to your next tournaments also?
RAFAEL NADAL: He's Italian, from Italy?

Q. Yeah, Florence.
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah. I don't think I always warm up and practice with him here, especially when the week is over on the Friday or Saturday. So yeah he's very good sparring.