Fernando Verdasco attended the Forum Ferrándiz AS, where he said he hoped to be among the top five ranked players before year end and that he believed Rafael Nadal would again regain his number one ranking.

“It’s very difficult to finish in the top five, but I look and I see that it is possible. You have to have the results I’ve had these three weeks throughout the year. I will fight with everything I have to get it.”

“The last three weeks have given me great confidence, I have improved my self-esteem and I hope to be playing in the final in Roland Garros. If I have Nadal in my side of the draw, of course it will be very difficult. But with Federer, Djokovic or Murray, I think I have the potential to reach the final.”

Fernando also revealed that he nearly quit tennis at 15 years old because he was frustrated at not being able to reach his best level. He considers Feliciano Lopez to be his best friend, and that they have a good relationship that is “more personal, and very different from the ones I have with the other players.”

Fernando’s biggest dream is to win a Grand Slam and become the number one in the world, something he hopes to accomplish before he turns 33 years old.

“To be number one depends on many things, not just the ambition, but you also have to be lucky. Everyone would like to achieve it, some might get close, but very few do it. It’s my childhood dream, I am 26 years old now and I hope to play until I’m 32 or 33. I can see myself as number one, but I know how hard it is to do it.”

His biggest inspiration in tennis remains Andre Agassi, who had his greatest triumphs later in his career.

“I see people like Agassi who won Grand Slams and were number one even after he was 29 years old, and that gives me strength and confidence that I can still achieve that. He was always my idol, I like tennis and he was charismatic. I feel like I can identify with his game. ”

Asked about how the path of a player like him can remain in the shadow of Rafael Nadal, Fernando said he has a “healthy envy” for his younger compatriot. “I don’t feel bad because Rafa’s in front of me. I try to focus on him to become a better tennis player myself. Whenever you see a player who wins all the time, you envy him in the sense that you’d like to earn as much as him or more.”

He also praised said Nadal’s mental strength, praising his ability to handle the pressure of winning week after week. “What I’ve experienced these three weeks, he’s done for five years. Great mental strength even when he’s not having a good day is what I would highlight.”

Fernando also said that sport in Spain is at its best, with the best athletes in history. “God has put the best athletes in the history of sport at this time in Spain. Gasol, Alonso, Nadal, the Spanish football team. It’s something that can not be explained, but to put it simply, we have the best athletes now.”

In that sense, Fernando said that it is easier for Cristiano Ronaldo to win the league than it is for him to win a Grand Slam. “Cristiano has won the Ballon d’Or and is one of the best players in the world, I am still lacking in that. If he is out for two months with injuries, the team can play without him. In tennis, if you are injured no one plays for you. I do not like to compare individual to team sports because they have nothing in common.”

In addition, Fernando echoed Rafael Nadal’s complaints about the schedule set by the ATP. “It’s very long and very demanding. We have no holidays. If you are in Davis Cup, it ends on December 7 and then barely a month later you are playing again. There is no time to train. It is a season packed to the maximum that tires you out mentally and physically.”

As for the past controversies about Madrid and the high altitude, Fernando believes that the capital deserves more important Davis Cup ties, but acknowledges and understands that the team prefers to play at sea level. He made it known that the location debate is far more serious in the press than it is among the team: “We are united when we play, no matter where we play. This has been one of the keys to our success as a team.”

(translated from as.com & el semanal digital)