Fernando lost today to compatriot Nicolas Almagro 1-6, 6-4, 1-6, 4-6. Fernando in his post-match presser, said that he “played a pretty bad match. “I think he (Almagro) is playing at a high level, so that’s difference in those two sets. I think I won the second set almost by luck. I could not believe how that I could win a set playing so badly.”

Fernando also praised Almagro and said that he had the potential to create an upset if he played his very best game. “What happens is that Rafa, mentally, physically, from experience, is superior to him. But you can shock Rafa enough to damage him, if you play well.”

Despite Fernando’s loss, he managed to defend his points from last year by reaching the fourth round again. He will be able to have some time to rest this week before he heads to England for grass season, where he’ll be playing Queens to prepare for Wimbledon.

Fernando fought back the elements and some hand and foot issues to defeat the No. 30 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-7¹, 6-4 in just over four hours, claiming a spot in the round of 16 and defending his points from last year. In addition to some service woes caused in part by the windy conditions (despite maintaining a high 75% first serve, Fernando served 15 total double faults for the match) and 61 total unforced errors, Fernando was also dealing with a blister on his racquet hand and broke the nail on his big toe on one foot and had to take three painkillers in order to continue playing.

“The truth is that there were times when even I was holding the tears of pain. It was a very difficult, very difficult match. When I lost the fourth set tie break, I thought I was more likely to lose than win it.

I took three pain pills, but the fourth set was a nightmare every time I put weight on my foot. I’ll see how I wake up tomorrow, and if necessary I’ll do some infiltration, but I am certain by removing the nail problem, I am one hundred percent. Winning against a tennis player like Kohlschreiber while dealing with so much pain makes me feel proud.”

F. VERDASCO/F. Serra 6-2, 6-2, 0-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Fernando.

Q. How would you assess your performance today? Why this strange third set, maybe, regarding the score?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I don’t know why, but it just happen. Ask Murray, happen the same to him.

You know, in these matches sometimes when you are lost like two sets to Love down, he just start to lose the arm and he made many winners and many balls to the lines.

He was you know, of course with 5 Love, I said, Okay, I’ll go to the fourth set, because this set he’s hitting the ball with the eyes closed and he’s putting the ball in the line. Does it better to close this set and start a new one.

But all of, you know, out of this, I think I play very good two first sets and the third set again because he was playing better with more confidence, and I been able to make a break and to be solid with my serve. So, you know, I’m happy how I played today.

Q. I have a specific question about Sven Groeneveld. How would you describe him as a coach?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: He’s not my coach.

Q. No, I know, but you used to work with him, so…

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I you know, he was with me almost one year and a half ago. You know, right now I don’t know exactly, but long time ago. Well, he helped me in many things, and, you know but right now I cannot I’m not the person also to speak about him.

I can speak about Darren, that he’s the one helping me. I speak about Gil or I can speak about Vicente or other persons who are with me right now, but I think with Sven you must ask the girls or the players who are with him right now, not to me. I’m not the right person.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish, please.

Q. It’s complicated to play after two days when you couldn’t really practice?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, yes, it’s complicated, but not that much. Well, it is not usual to stay two days without doing anything. Of course, I couldn’t even practice the day I should have played. I could only warm up for 30 minutes, and then they canceled everything.

It wasn’t very important, but, you know, if it’s a Grand Slam, anything that comes is positive, because everything is important. So you shouldn’t think negatively like, Oh, I’m wasting my time here. I always have to wait.

No, look at the bright side. This is such an interesting tournament that I’d say mental preparation is excellent during the tournament to have excellent results.

Q. What do you think about the fact that you were programmed after Federer?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, this is part of programming and the organization. Even though we might ask, they will not change anything.

I’d rather not answer the question, because the organization will not change.

Q. Today there are eight Spanish players. It’s a huge army of players. Do you watch their results? Do you watch their matches?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Oh, yes, when I don’t play I follow their matches, and I think that all those who won and all those who lost have done their best. I’m so happy to see that we have so many Spanish players, and I hope it’s going to continue this way.

Q. I don’t know if you saw this video, a video concerning karaoke here in Roland Garros which is a parody of Shakira and Nadal.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Oh, yes. I heard about it. I don’t know why. Why do you always ask me to answer these questions about these things?

Yes, the karaoke. We did one last year, as well. Novak always wants to be the funniest, the star, but he loves this. He loves being a showman. He likes it.

So you should ask Rafa if he enjoyed this imitation or not. But to tell you the truth, I don’t really know how Rafa took this, but I know Rafa. I don’t think he really very much liked the video. But anyway, who knows? Maybe he enjoyed it.

Since there’s not much going on today but rain delays, Roland Garros put up an interview with Fernando talking about football and the World Cup. Enjoy!
—
The Spanish heart throb Fernando Verdasco (No.9 in the ATP rankings) is not just one of the best tennis players in the world, he is also a fan of football and Real Madrid… so we decided to talk football with him.

Who do you think will be the biggest surprise at the World Cup?
The United States.

What about the biggest disappointment?
I don’t really know. I hope it won’t be Spain. We are one of the two or three favourites and I can’t imagine we won’t perform well. I really have faith in the Spanish team.

Who would you pay good money to see in South Africa?
Messi and Kaka.

What is your earliest football memory?
When I was two or three, I kicked a ball around with my father and cousins in the garden.

Who was your childhood idol?
Ronaldo (the Brazilian). I’m lucky, we became friends when he played for Real Madrid.

Which is your favourite team?
Real Madrid, of course!

Which is your favourite stadium?
Santiago Bernabeu.

How much would you pay for your favourite player’s shirt?
I’m lucky because Ronaldo gave me his shirt. If he hadn’t, I’d be prepared to pay 500 euros for his shirt.

Which fans are the best?
The Atletico Madrid fans. They are always there for their team. They are impressive fans.

If you could play 90 minutes with any team, which would it be and what position?
Real Madrid. I’d like to play as an attacking midfielder, in the hole, just behind the striker – where Kaka plays. I’d be the one feeding the passes through to the number 9.

Who is your favourite manager?
Mourinho – and not only because he’ll be managing Real Madrid. He’s a genius who has won titles everywhere.

If you were president of Real Madrid, what would be your first decision?
I would try to recruit the best players and the best manager. Then, I would let the manager do his job without bothering him. I would never interfere with his choices or tell him who to pick.

What’s the best goal you’ve ever seen?
Zidane’s in the Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen (in 2001). I was watching on television like any rabid fan.

(via rg.com)

F. VERDASCO/I. Kunitsyn 6-4, 6-2, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Fernando.

Q. Obviously a straightforward win. What pleased you about the way you played today?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I’m happy. Always the first match is tough, and the beginning of the match, also, was like a little bit hard to get the conditions. The court was fast. Not too much clay. You know, it was a little bit, you know, difficult to get used to it, but after a few games, I started feeling better.
And also, you know, every set I was getting more and more confident. In the third set, I finished playing really good. My feelings was good.

Q. Obviously yesterday Richard Gasquet was playing in five sets on a Monday. He had problems with fatigue. How much of a difference is that extra day? Because you also played on Saturday. Was it helpful to have that extra day rest?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I don’t know. I didn’t play yesterday. I cannot answer that, but I think that maybe yeah, have 24 hours more. But you have 24 more hours to rest and to recover. Maybe it’s the difference to win or lose or maybe not. I don’t know. I cannot tell you that. Maybe he will play today and he will lose, also. I cannot answer that. Nobody knows.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish, please.

Q. Many players said that it’s a slippery court. What would you say about this?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, absolutely. This is a faster court this year, absolutely. I didn’t realize anything was wrong with the balls. If you hit the balls strongly, if you give them a special spin, if you put all of your strength into your shots, the balls bounce back correctly.

I don’t think that there’s less bouncing and there’s less earth on the court, so for those used to fast serves or those used to other surfaces, it’s different.

Q. You have not been able to practice much in the recent past. Is that a problem?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, yesterday I played and practiced for an hour. I don’t know if I need to play one, two, or three hours, but I was on the courts quite often. Of course, I’ve got to practice a lot but not too much. I don’t want to be too tired so as to have feelings quite quickly, and then I keep what I need to keep for the match. I don’t need to practice for hours and hours after so many matches.

Q. Would you say you enjoy this victory today? How’s that? I think it’s important to play in Paris after playing in Nice last week.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I’m very, very happy to have won the match during this first round, because I played better with time. Of course, I gained more confidence as the sets were going by.

And also, sets fly by, you’re more relaxed, you unwind, and you can win more quickly. I’m really happy because now it’s going to be the second round and I’m still waiting are to the other match to finish because they’re still playing.

Q. What type of reactions would you expect from the crowd? To start with, they were quite indifferent. And afterward they put their hands together for you.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, no problem for me today. Of course you expect the worst all the time. If it’s worst you’re not going to be disappointed, not badly surprised. But, no, there’s nothing I can add about this. Of course, what I wanted to say I said it during the release. That’s all I had to say.

Q. I think you’ve written something. Who’s this for?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: No. Other question.

Q. You’ve said you’ve played quite a lot on clay.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, I’ve played many matches.

Q. Do you think it’s negative or not, playing too much before you play at Roland Garros?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I don’t think so. We’ll wait, wait and see. We’ll see if this was negative or not. I’m quite optimistic. I think everything is going to go on smoothly.

Q. Without giving us all the details about Sunday, with this season you’ve played, I think you’ve had some problems lately. Has this had an impact today?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, the bad news always have an impact, not just for me. That’s the case for many people. But there’s nothing I want to add about this incident. What was to be said was said. There’s nothing I want to add about this incident.

Q. How do you feel today? Do you feel good?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yes. I’m fit.

Q. You look very serious today.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, you always ask me questions about this incident. I said I don’t want to add anything. I will not answer. That’s all. If you keep on asking the same questions, I’ll answer the same answer, and then I get fed up.

Q. Do you feel fit like you can win this tournament?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I feel good. I think this could be a good tournament for me. Now, I don’t know if I’m going to win or not. There’s a long way to go. I could perhaps be in the round of 16 against Almagro, and then the draw is really a tough draw for me. I don’t know if I’m going to win this tournament or not, because I can’t say this today. Yet I have confidence. I’ll do my best so that the tournament is a good tournament for me.

Q. Nadal and some of the press, the Spanish press, say you are well placed for a good tournament. Would you say that this impresses you or it has no impact on you?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, if I’m considered as one of the favorites, it’s something good. It’s pleasant. Of course it was a good feeling, but that’s about it.

Everybody says that Rafa is “the” No. 1 favorite, and I’m glad when I hear this, that he’s the greatest winner. Of course, everybody is trying to put some pressure off their own shoulders, but I’m not that much interested in what the others say. Of course, if I’m considered as a favorite, I’ll try and live up to their expectations on the court. That’s all I can do.

Q. Now, be careful about this. Be careful about how you’re going to interpret my question. Now, you consider that the reason why you wanted to play the Nice tournament with this ankle problem you had, and then, you know, afterwards we had a match that lasted two hours and 40 minutes, my question is: Why did you want to play the Nice tournament?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I had signed in a long time ago. That’s my first reason. The second reason is that I wanted to play and play more and more matches. When I was in the tournament, I didn’t want to lose. That’s all. I never regret what I do. No, no, no, no, no regrets.

Q. After this season on clay, you’ve won everybody’s respect. This season is very busy, as you know. According to you, is Roland Garros the tournament you would really want to win?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I think I have answered this question several times. My favorite tournament, as I’ve said here again, is Wimbledon. Roland Garros is a Grand Slam tournament, of course. If people ask me if I want to win, yes, of course, everybody wants to win Roland Garros. If you say no, you don’t want to win Roland Garros, you’re totally crazy. Of course, I’d like to win Roland Garros. But Wimbledon, I’ve always said that Wimbledon was “the” tournament. It’s given me more satisfaction than even Madrid.
Roland Garros, however, will remain Roland Garros, and if I can win Roland Garros, excellent. If I win Wimbledon, even better.

Q. Throughout the tournament, I hope everything is going to go on very nicely, that your feelings will be good with the crowd.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I’ve answered this question already. I’ve said what I wanted to say after these events. Those who are not happy, I don’t mind. I’m going to play tennis, that’s all. I’m not going to say anything else on the court. I’m not going to say anything against anybody. I’m here to play tennis and that’s all, and to play my best Roland Garros.

adidas has released some videos featuring the outfits the players, including Fernando, will be wearing for grass season and Wimbledon and the upcoming American hard court season & US Open. There is a general video of all the players, an interview with Fernando and a making-of Fernando’s photoshoot. Hopefully we’ll get some good pictures out soon! Enjoy!

Click below to see the singles draw for next week’s clay Slam at Roland Garros:

Fernando has a tough draw with lots of potentially dangerous opponents. He takes on the Russian Igor Kunitsyn in the first round, at could set up a rematch with Florent Serra in the second. After that, he could get the always-tricky German Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third, and either Fernando Gonzalez or compatriot Nicolas Almagro in the fourth, leading up to a clash in the quarterfinals with world #2 and 4-time champion Rafael Nadal.

Fernando will contest his fourth final of the year in an effort to capture his third title of the year and sixth overall, after defeating Leonardo Mayer 7-6³, 7-5 to advance to the finals of the Open de Nice Cote d’Azur, where he will face Richard Gasquet.

The road to the final hasn’t been exactly easy for Fernando, as he was coming off an ankle injury suffered in Madrid prior to starting the tournament, and had problems with his elbow in his 6-2, 6-7⁵, 6-4 quarterfinal victory over Sergiy Stakhovsky: “I finished the match playing very well, although I had a problem with my arm. It worries me because I have Roland Garros next week and you don’t like to have this kind of problem three or four days before a Grand Slam.”

He had his elbow taped today, and mentioned in his presser after his match (listen here) that the tap helped him feel better and that there wasn’t much pain today. He received treatment yesterday and the doctors told him that the arm muscles were feeling tight and that he is working to relax the muscles and hopes to be 100% for Paris next week.

Fernando did an interview with the Metro UK about his participating in the AEGON Championships next month and talked about his chances in Paris, what he’s been doing differently this season and a little bit about football :)

You must be very happy with the way you have started the year.

Yes. It has been a good start for me and now it’s important I build on that, especially over the next few weeks in the French Open.

Reaching the final of the Masters event at Monte Carlo and then winning in Barcelona has really cemented your position in the world’s top ten.

Monte Carlo helped me get in the top ten and I am very pleased to have beaten some good players (Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych, Ernst Gulbis and Robin Soderling) this season as it shows I am improving my game. I am very happy with the way I’ve been playing but I cannot sit still.

Have there been any adjustments to your technique which have enabled you to prosper?

I’ve been working hard to improve my clay-court approach. I have been more solid from the baseline while playing a more tactical game. I did it very well at Monte Carlo and built on that.

Next up is the French Open, you must be approaching that in good heart?

It is an exciting challenge and one that I’m really looking forward to after my recent successes on clay.

There is also the problem of getting past Rafael Nadal who has an exemplary record at Roland Garros.

Of course, he is probably the best player ever on clay and is extremely difficult to beat when he gets into full flow. He did not play in Barcelona because he wanted to be 100 per cent for the French Open and did not want to aggravate his knees.

So he is a lock to regain the title this year?

Not necessarily. There are a lot of good clay-court players who will be there and if he is not 100 per cent they will be trying to take advantage. It will be difficult but we will all be trying to beat him.

You are going to be spending a lot of time in London after the French Open as you prepare for Wimbledon.

Yes, I’ll be playing in the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club and that should be ideal because the organisers have assembled a very strong field with most of the top ten there. It should be a great tournament and then it’s off to Wimbledon where I hope to do well, especially as I didn’t play there last year.

Do you like your visits here?

Yes. I will be playing in two really exciting tournaments and the atmosphere will be very exciting, especially at Wimbledon.

The crowds really enjoy their tennis and I really appreciate the whole culture and experience and classic tradition that comes with playing in London.

You’re from Madrid so do you follow Real or Atletico?

I’m a big Real Madrid fan and was hoping they would beat Barcelona to the La Liga title this season.

So who is better then, Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?

They are two exceptional players with different styles but at the moment I would have to say it is Messi. He is such a fantastic player and makes a big difference for his team but there really is not a lot in it.

And Spain’s hopes of winning the World Cup?

We are European champions and so I think we have a very good chance.
—
(via metro uk)

Fernando opened his campaign in Nice with a straight set 6-2, 6-2 victory over Frenchman Florent Serra to advance to the quarterfinals at the Open de Nice Côte d’Azur.

After trailing 1-2 in the first set, Fernando went on to win eight of the next nine games to take a 6-2, 3-1 lead, sealing his victory in just over an hour and improving his clay season record to 16-4.

Click the link below to hear Fernando’s post match audio interview :)
http://www.opennicecotedazur.com/interviews-en-open-de-nice-cote-d-azur-2010.html