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Listen to audio of Fer’s English interview!

It’s that time of the year again! It’s Davis Cup week and the Armada is hoping to recover from their “la Mantita” against France in the quarterfinals last year with a solid win in Belgium.

David was originally called up to play the first singles match tomorrow, but due to a niggling injury, Fernando will instead play the first singles rubber against Malisse, followed by Rafa who goes against youngster Ruben Bemelmans. Fernando will team up with Feli on Saturday to play the doubles against Malisse and Olivier Rochus.

Despite the advantage of having three top ten players on their team, Fernando doesn’t think the visiting Spanish contingient are the favourites

“In Davis Cup, you must always consider the locals as favorites, there are statistics to prove it. They have the advantage of choosing the court type and speed, the balls, and they have the audience in their favor.”

Instead, says the team is confident in their chances. “We are preparing our best to arrive in perfect condition for the weekend. We are all feeling well physically and are fully confident.”

Fernando’s pre-tournament presser from February 1, 2011:

JIM SPARACO: I want to say good morning to everybody and thanks for joining us for today’s call with defending SAP Open champion Fernando Verdasco. Verdasco will be coming to the SAP Open for only the second time in his career. He is currently No. 9 in the ATP World Tour rankings.

Last year, Verdasco used an overpowering serve late in the third set to defeat three-time Andy Roddick to become the first Spaniard to capture the tournament single’s championship since Manuel Santana did so in 1964.

Verdasco, who is a second-ranked Spanish player on the ATP World Tour has captured five singles titles in his career.

Before we open it up for questions, I’ll introduce tournament director Bill Rapp.

BILL RAPP: Good morning, everyone. Fernando, thanks for taking time out of your schedule to join us and thanks to the media on the call.

Fernando, you came to the SAP Open last year for the first time and you won the title here. What were your impressions of San Jose, the fans, the court surface, and what was your overall experience here?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, for me it was an unbelievable experience to be there for the first time and win the tournament. Also the atmosphere and the crowd were amazing, no, not only in the final but during all the matches.

I think there were also very many Spanish people over there in San Jose. I saw like many Latin people over there supporting me. So it was like much easier for me to feel all the people there. Of course, it was great, no, to win the title there, and to play against Pete before the tournament.

It was a great week for me and I’m so happy to be back this year.

BILL RAPP: Fernando, I spoke to Pete last week. He said he’s still a little angry at you for pounding him so bad.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, I don’t think so (laughter).

BILL RAPP: This year we have a strong field of players including Monfils, Del Potro, Hewitt, Fish, Querrey, and many more. What do you know about these players and how difficult will it be for you to defend your title?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, for sure is going to be very hard, no? They are all very good players. I know them all very good. I know that it’s going to be really hard, no, to defend my title over there.

But, you know, it’s going to be nice to come back there after winning last year. Always when you come back to a tournament that you won the year before, it’s always good feelings, great feelings on the court, and in the tournament. I hope all the experiences that I lived last year there playing really good help me this year to try to do it again really good and try to defend my title.

BILL RAPP: We understand you’re teaming up with Lleyton Hewitt to play doubles. How did that come about?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: It was I was in Melbourne. His physio, Ivan, is also one of the physios at the Australian Open. So he told me if I was going to San Jose and Memphis. I said, Yes. He told, the same like Lleyton. I said, Really? So we start talking. He was also doing treatment for me there on my ankle during the two weeks, the week before the tournament, then the week and a half after the tournament. Actually we were talking. Ivan told me, Well, maybe you can both play doubles in one of the tournaments. I said, Yeah, for sure. I didn’t play doubles last year in San Jose or Memphis.

With Lleyton, I think it will be a great experience to play with him. For sure it’s going to be fun.

BILL RAPP: Thanks, Fernando.

JIM SPARACO: Since Fernando is going to be playing the tournament in Memphis, as well, we have tournament director Peter Lebedevs.

Peter, did you want to welcome Fernando and the Memphis media to your tournament.

PETER LEBEDEVS: I’d like to welcome Fernando to jumping in on the call and taking the time out of his schedule and for the local media.

Fernando, we’re excited to have you back in Memphis. I think your first year was last year in our event. I know our crowd was very close on the court, you had a great time in San Jose, then coming to our court.

Can you tell us the difference of how close the people were in Memphis, what you felt of that stadium court?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I think that last year for sure I remember I was in the tournament in San Jose, I won the tournament, and I was with problems with my leg coming from the sciatic nerve. I was working all week with the physio in San Jose, making treatment three, four hours a day. I won the tournament, but also I came to Memphis and I was a little bit tired. I didn’t have too much time also, just one afternoon, to practice in Memphis, to get used to the court, to the balls, because they are different.

I also played against Chardy. He’s a player that serves really good. He was like really, really good that day. So I had my chances in the first set, but he played well and deserved to win.

For me it was hard to lost that match because I really wanted to do really good, much better in Memphis. So hopefully this year I will come back to Memphis with more time and be able to get used to the court and the balls better, make a much better tournament.

Also it was great to be there, even if I didn’t win matches. But I’m happy to come back and, like I said, hopefully I will play much better and win more matches.

PETER LEBEDEVS: We appreciate you coming back. The fans are very excited. That’s why we have you playing Wednesday, to make sure you have time to get used to the stadium court. Our fans are only 64 feet away, so they’re real close. We have you Wednesday night and look forward to you doing very well in Memphis.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Thank you so much. For sure, like you said, the crowd is really close compared to another tournaments. Like, for example, San Jose is a very big stadium. The conditions were different than Memphis. For me, playing in Memphis, the conditions of having the people so close, the court how it was, you know, I’m a Spaniard, so I need sometimes a little bit more space on the baseline to play my game. I was a little bit feeling like I was inside the cage over there with not too much space to move around.

But, like I said, hopefully this year I will have more time to get used to this stadium court and play much better.

PETER LEBEDEVS: We appreciate it. Not sure if we have more space behind the court, but we have more time for you to get ready.

JIM SPARACO: We’ll open it up to questions now for Fernando.

Q. You’re obviously familiar with Novak Djokovic’s game, having beaten him the last two times you guys have faced. Outside of that first win that he had in Australia, really for a long time he was odd-man-out behind Federer, Nadal, struggled with conditioning, couldn’t quite break through. Now that he’s won his second slam and the field seems to be opening up a little bit, do you see him as somebody who can break through and get to No. 1?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I think that he have the game. He was close to be No. 1 already. I don’t remember exactly, but maybe like one and a half years ago, something like that. I think, like I said, he have the game. He was just really close.

For sure he can be No. 1. He’s young and he has a great game. I think that after winning Australia, Davis Cup gave him extra power for him like mentally, psychologically, and physically to go to Australia and win his second Grand Slam, no?

I think, like for me two years ago when I won in Argentina, that helped me to jump into the top 10. I think this Davis Cup helped him to win this second Grand Slam, no?

Before the tournament, I was telling my group, like my dad, my cousin, my fitness coach, that he was going to be for me the favorite of the Australian Open. So I was right and he won the tournament.

I think, like you said, for sure he can be No. 1 sooner or later.

Q. What makes him so dangerous as a player?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I think, you know, he have all the strikes. But for sure maybe his most powerful weapons are his return. He’s one of the most dangerous guys when he return. Also his backhand is like one of the best by far in the ATP Tour. He’s getting much more like defending, stretching, taking really difficult balls.

Like before was Rafa, for example, that was returning all those balls that was impossible to get. Now Novak is doing that, too. I saw him covering the court at the Australian Open unbelievable, like making you feel the court really small, making the other players to try to push more and make more mistakes because of that, no?

I think he have these weapons for sure his best. Also he improve his serve compared to last year when he was struggling a little bit with double-faults and losing a little bit his serve. Now he got the serve again.

I think he’s with big confidence right now. After winning the Davis Cup, he got big confidence and came to Australia like really, really confident of his game, and that’s why he won the tournament this year.

Q. I was going to ask you about the success of tennis in Spain. You have three top-10 players: yourself, Rafa and Ferrer. What has led to that extraordinary success in recent years?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, that’s a question that they ask me already many times. It’s hard to know exactly why. I don’t really have the answer for that. I think that it’s just a period in history right now that we have not only good tennis players, but also athletes. I think in Spain we are right now in the best period of sport in history, like winning the World Cup in soccer that we never did before, in basketball, in Formula One, in cycling, in tennis. In almost every sport we are doing unbelievable. I think it is just, I don’t know, something of history. It’s tough to know. It’s tough to know.

In tennis, just speaking about tennis, I think that Spain had like really good players in the last – at least what I remember – 20 years: Moya, Ferrero, Corretja, Berasategui, Bruguera. In that years, maybe the ’90s, they were only more like clay court players. But also the hard court tournaments were much more faster than now. Maybe the Spanish players, they were not serving as good as maybe all the, like, U.S. players or French players or German players or Croatian players in that age.

But now that the hard courts, even the grass court, they are slower, I think that’s why Spanish players, they are winning much more matches in all the surface, and that’s why we have more players up there, like five players in the top 20, three players in the top 10, many players in the top 100, no?

All the courts are getting slower. That helps the Spanish players, you know, to win more matches and be more in the top.

Q. Are there more young Spanish tennis players coming up?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, right now, if I need to say, I know a few like junior players. One of them, Javier Marti, he’s 19 years old, from Madrid, or Beluga (phonetic), he was winning almost everything when he was young. But from that point to be a professional – not only professional – but to become a top-20 or top-10 player is a huge difference. Is tough to say if they can be, no?

But I think in few years, Spain maybe will not have the players that they have right now. Right now I think, like I said, it’s unbelievable what we have, no? With Rafa No. 1, David No. 6, also me No. 9, the other players like Almagro, Feliciano, Ferrero was injured for the last months, but many players like Robredo, Montañes, many others. It’s going to be hard to have all those players in, I don’t know, maybe eight or ten years. I don’t think there will be that many players.

Hopefully it will be the same or more, but is tough, no, because is not always easy to have all the good players at the same time together. I think that happens in all the countries, no? I think the U.S. in the ’90s, they have Sampras, Agassi, Chang, maybe three or four top 10s, and now they have one. The same happens with France. The same happened with Sweden. It’s like all periods, no? It’s always changing. It’s hard to be all the time with many players in the top.

Q. Fernando, could you talk about how popular Rafa and tennis are in Spain. Can you compare it to anything in the United States?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I don’t really know how is in the United States. What I saw at the U.S. with Tennis Channel, knowing or watching how famous Andy or Mardy or Sam or John, all these players can be there. It’s pretty big. I don’t know because I’m not an American player, and they don’t know me that much over there.

But in Spain is becoming really big tennis. Rafa made it very big, for sure, winning all these Grand Slams and all these titles he did. But also like all the other players after Rafa, like winning the four Davis Cups in 10 years, all the tournaments that all the other players also won in the last years, I think that made Spain like really into it with tennis, no?

I think that is, like I said, becoming really big. Everybody follows more tennis. It’s great, no? It’s great to see that the people is watching tennis, following tennis. TV also is making programs about tennis, not like Tennis Channel, but close, no? Like I said, is nice to see that the people is following more tennis and practicing more tennis in all the cities around Spain.

Q. Is tennis No. 2 in Spain behind soccer?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yeah, well, it’s tough, no? In Spain, for sure soccer is number one. It’s tough to say. I don’t really know if it’s number two tennis. Basketball also is very big. But I think it’s number two or number three. I think basketball and tennis must be really close. I don’t know exactly, but I think it’s the number two and number three for sure.

Q. You spoke about the good feelings you got in San Jose as defending champion. What will motivate you to win the SAP Open again?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I am so happy, no, to be back. I will try my best to try to win my title again, the title I won last year. I know that it’s going to be hard. There are many good players. But I will just try to go there and try to play good tennis and be happy and enjoy the tournament like I did last year.

Q. Your performance in the Australian Open was very impressive considering you were playing on a broken ankle. How did you play through all the pain and how are you feeling today?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, it was really hard, no, for me because I’ve been working so hard in Las Vegas this pre-season trying to get in Australia with the best shape as possible. I don’t know, but maybe I overpracticed, no? I worked so hard. I came to Australia. I played Brisbane. I started feeling pain in my leg. I started doing treatment. For all the week in Brisbane, I didn’t feel any better.

So, you know, I also played in Kooyong. My first match against Monfils, I was really feeling painful. I did an MRI and they told me that it was like inflammation in the bone, part of the bone was broken. It was not like very good news for me before start a Grand Slam.

Not only that, no? The hardest part was the pain, no? You can have a broken bone or part of the bone broken or inflammation, whatever, but if you don’t have pain, doesn’t matter. But it was really painful some days. It was hard for me, no, to play like that.

It was hard because also I was doing tapes all the time to my ankles to try to get this pain away. These tapes, they were so hard to try to get the pain. Because it was so hard, they were also doing me blisters, cutting me, the Achilles tendon, for example, in the Berdych match. So it was all problems.

I’ve been really sad, no, to have all these problems. I was supposed to go straight back to California after Australia, but I decide to come back to Madrid and see with all the doctors here, do all the tests and everything I need and recover, to try to be a hundred percent for San Jose.

I’ve been doing all that. Looks like I feel much better. I have the last MRI tomorrow morning to see my ankle after all these days of treatment and recovery, and hopefully is going to be good and they will tell me it’s good to start practicing harder and be ready for the tournament next week.

Q. You played some dramatic five-set matches lately, whether it was Tipsarevic in Melbourne, Ferrer in New York. What is about those matches that boost your confidence when you get through them?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, all that matches, when you come back from two sets to love down, you finish the match winning, they are great, no? They are unbelievable. They give you big confidence.

Mentally is great, no? It makes you be much stronger and makes you believe more since the last ball in the match that you can win, no? If you never do it before, it’s harder. But the time you do it one time, it’s like everything. Once you do it one time, you believe you can do it more times.

Now for me in the Grand Slams, even when I’m two sets to love down, I still belive that I can come back and win the match. It was great, the match against Tipsarevic, how I saved the match points and came back and won the match finally. It was great feeling and I was so happy to win that match.

Q. I know you talked earlier about how the 2008 Davis Cup win inspired you, why it led to you picking Novak to win the Australian Open. In what way did leading Spain to win the Davis Cup a few years ago inspire you?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, for me I always said that Davis Cup was like a point of inflection for me, like I became a completely new player after that. I believed in myself much more.

You know, I think right now tennis is big-time mentally. When you became a better mental player, you became a better player.

When I won that Davis Cup, you know, that gave me big confidence. After that, I went to Australia and I did the semifinals. I maybe played my best tennis in all my life.

I think that with Novak happens the same this year. He won that Davis Cup playing unbelievable, the two matches that he played. You know all that feelings, all that emotions that he lived for sure there makes him much better player, and that help him for sure big-time to go to Australia and win the title there.

Q. Fernando, how has working with Agassi and Reyes helped you? What do you feel you need to do to take the next step and win a Grand Slam title?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I always said that working with Gil and with Andre and with Darren Cahill also, with all three, helped me so much. They are persons that they help me to become also a better player. That’s why I’m still going to Las Vegas many times a year.

For example, the hardest time for me to go there is Christmas, in December, during Christmas. All my family is at home and I’m still going there to be working there with Gil and with Andre and Darren. I think it’s good for me and I feel good when I go to the tournaments after being in Vegas.

Gil is a person, like I said many times, he made me stronger player, but not only physically, mentally he’s also a great trainer. We speak about many things, many experience that he had with Andre. That also helped me to have more motivation, more experience, be more angry to try to win titles, big titles, hopefully to be able to win a Grand Slam or Masters Series or both very soon.

Q. Did you spend this past Christmas in Las Vegas?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yes.

Q. Fernando, what can some of the people who have never been to a tournament, especially some of the younger audience members, what can they expect from this year’s championship in Memphis?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I think for all the young people, I for sure know that maybe you are young, you like tennis so much, or is more for older people, maybe after the 25, no? So like maybe if they go, and I invite them for sure to come because they will enjoy it for sure, the tournament. Why not come one time? If they’ve never been in a tennis tournament, just to see the atmosphere, for sure they will not be disappointed. Maybe they will like it to be the first experience. There will become a few tennis fans and maybe they will be more into tennis.

That’s why I want to invite everybody there in Memphis to come to the tournament and meet us over there, all the players. For sure they will enjoy so much and maybe they will get into tennis much more.

Q. Your thoughts on Monfils in terms of how rare on tour is his combination of speed and athleticism and shot-making?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: About Monfils?

Q. Correct.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yeah, well, I think that he’s an unbelievable athlete. His way to play is unbelievable. He’s unbelievably elastic. He get balls. He’s like sliding all the time in hard courts like it was a clay court. It’s hard to believe and hard to see even for us that he can be sliding all the time in that kind of surface, like Australia, for example, one of the grippiest courts on the tour.

He’s a great person also. I have a very good relation with him. I think also he’s a player if he’s regular and constant all year, he can be fighting for sure to be a top-10 player at the end of the year. He have a good serve. He cover many court because he moves so fast.

Like I said, is maybe the most elastic player on the tour. With Novak, I think they are the most. But Monfils, he has the arms and legs longer, and he’s so fast.

I think that, you know, he’s an unbelievable athlete and he can be a very good player this year on the way that I saw him starting this year in Australia.

JIM SPARACO: I’d like to thank all the media who joined us on today’s call. Fernando, thank you for your time. We look forward to seeing you not only in San Jose but in Memphis, as well.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Of course, I will see you soon.

JIM SPARACO: Thank you very much.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Thank you so much, everyone.

via fastscripts

F. VERDASCO/K. Nishikori 6-2, 6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Fernando.

Q. You dominate the game all the time, especially your forehand stroke is so good. How did you look back at that game, that match?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: What I think about the match?

Q. Yes.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I think that I started the match today very, very strong, like compare, for example, second round against Tipsarevic I start a little bit slow and he start playing so good. So today I really want to start from the first point 100%, like moving and hitting the ball hard.

I saw that he was like stretching with the back, with the leg, lots of time, taking the medical timeout at the end of the first set. So, you know, maybe in his match of second round against Mayer he got a little bit tired and physically he was not 100% today.

I was just trying to push hard and try to take advantage in the game fast. You know, I think that I played really good, and he started playing better also the second set and the third set better than the first set.

But I think that I did very good my game today, and I didn’t let him play his game so much. So I’m happy of how I played today and to be here in fourth round again.

Q. Did you prepare any strategy coming into the match, or tactics?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, no. Nothing special. Well, we never played each other before, so I was watching some matches of him that he played, knowing that one of his best matches was against Blake or against David Ferrer.

So, you know, I suppose mentally that he wanted to or he like to play fast and not like really high balls or with a lot of spin. So I was just trying to serve good, mix my serve, flat but also with spin, and also taking my forehand and hitting hard and with spin to his backhand. Make him run, no?

So it was my mentality for that match, and I think that I had a good day today and the things was well for me.

Also, like I said before to him, I think he was not 100% physically, so it was, you know, for sure for him not a good feeling, no?

F. VERDASCO/J. Tipsarevic, 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(0), 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Fernando.

Q. So how does this win rate with the other victories that you’ve had?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I think that, you know, every time you win one match like this in a Grand Slam, it’s important, no, for yourself to get confidence, to see that you are good physically and mentally.

So, you know, it was of course very important win after coming again two sets to Love down, and also saving the match point in the fourth set. So, you know, I think it’s very positive for me.

Q. Two sets to love down, what was your strategy?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, just he was playing really good and aggressive, so I just tried to be a little bit more aggressive with my serve, with my forehand. Also trying to get the timing at the return to try to put a little bit more put him a little bit more in trouble with his serve.

Well, you know, keep fighting all the time, because I was really close to lose today. I think that just my mentality was the key, one of the biggest key today to come back.

Q. When he took the medical timeout did that give you added confidence?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, if I’m honest, not so much, because, you know, I really play I was really focus on myself and just coming back the fourth set two times that he had he served to close the match. And the tiebreak, you know, playing like really good for me gave me a lot confidence.

I saw him also a little bit tired, even I knew that he was tired a little bit in the end of the fourth set, even if he didn’t take that medical timeout. But of course when you saw that your opponent is taking a medical, then you try to push a little bit more to take a quick advantage in the beginning of the next set.

Q. Did you feel he was trying in the fifth set?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Trying?

Q. Was he?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I think that I don’t know. This is question I think that he must answer, not me, no? I think that he was tired; he got the medical right after the first game. After that, I didn’t see him moving really good. I don’t know if it was so much pain what he have or not. I think he’s the only one who knows that.

So I was trying to don’t push the brake, keep pushing the gas and going in the fifth set the same that I was playing the tiebreak in the fourth set.

Q. Next up is Kei Nishikori. Do you have any information? What impression do you have about him?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well information, I know him and I practice with him long time ago. Of course I know him. He’s Japanese, right?

Q. Yes.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I’m joking. (Smiling.) I think that he’s a very fast player; his legs, he move his legs really fast. And I think that, you know, like he’s with confidence starting this year. I think that he’s like motivated for this year. He have also this year the help of Brad Gilbert so for sure he will improve his game with a coach like that.

I know it’s going to be a tough match. Every match in third round of a Grand Slam is tough. You know, I will just try to keep playing the same that I did today. Not the fifth set today because it was a little bit not normal. But maybe if I can say like the third and the fourth set of the match today, I hope to be like that in two days: play aggressive, serve big, and just fight all the time to try to win again.

Q. You’ve been working with Gil Reyes, and he always used to be very fit. Is he trying to make you fitter?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: He always try to make me fitter. I don’t know until when or where I can go with him, because, you know, if I keep working like that four or five hours every day fitness, you know, maybe I can go to fight at the UFC and not play tennis anymore. Because it’s incredible. We work so hard every time I’m there.

But of course if I can translate that energy and power that we work in the position every time I’m there to the court, you know, I’m so like I’m so healthy and strong when I play. Today for example I felt it, no? I felt that even when the match was longer and longer, I was feeling better and better. So for sure it’s part of that work I did.

Q. Seems like you twisted your ankle at the end…

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yeah, I twist it in that game, in the game 6-5 on his serve in the fourth set. But, you know, when you twist your ankle pushing hard, you are always like with a little bit worried, no, to see what you have. So the first steps it was more to see if it was painful or not. It was not. I just got scared, but it was nothing important and I feel good.

Q. You’re No. 9 in the world, and obviously Rafa is always there in Spain. Do you feel like you’re in the shadow of Nadal? Is that a good or bad thing to have him always dominating Spanish tennis?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I answer this question already many times. I don’t feel in the shadow because you have another player that’s No. 1 or 2 in the world in the last five, six years, no? He did so good job all these years winning many tournaments and many Grand Slams.

All he did he deserve, no? I’m just trying to be a better player and try to win also big tournaments, no? I think that I will get whatever I deserve the same like everybody else. But of course, you know, he is the No. 1, and many times everybody speaks about him and not about the others.

Not only me, about like maybe Ferrer or Ferrero or Almagro. I think there’s been a lot of Spanish tennis players, and we need to be so proud of that. I think that’s the most important thing.

Fernando has been pretty busy since Paris ended, doing a few campaigns and now in London as an alternate for the World Tour Finals.

Earlier this year, Fer also participated in the Fundación SOS’ “Twelve months, Twelve rights,” solidarity campaign, doing a photoshoot for a calendar where he, along with eleven other athletes, shared moments with children, representing in each of the photos one of the fundamental rights of children. The calendar is to commemorate International Children’s Day on November 20th. Click here to view the picture!

Here I’ve posted/translated some of his recent interviews talking about his tennis, his personal life, girls, football, his future and more. Hope you enjoy!
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“My first big challenge in 2011 will be to win the Australian Open”
Discussing how he feels about his season:

“I’m a little disappointed with the season I’ve had, albeit after a good start–I was number 3 in the race after Monte Carlo, but I have not had the expected year-end. I didn’t have a good American hard court season other than the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open, and after that a horrible Asian swing.”

On who he thinks the favourite for London is:

“It’s hard to say one because they are all the best, but it is clear that the track conditions are not conducive to the Spaniards. I wish I could say that Rafa and David are favorites, but I see more possibilities for Federer, who seems to be back in top form, and Soderling, who comes in after winning in Paris and whose game is perfectly suited to the court conditions.”

On his hopes for next year:

After London, Fernando plan to relax for a few days in Madrid, then leave for the U.S., to begin his intense preparation for the next year. In 2011, he’ll begin his season in Brisbane, followed by the Kooyong exho (which he won last year, defeating Tsonga in the final) all this in preparation for the first Grand Slam of the year. “Although it sounds a bit strong, my challenge for myself at the start of next season is to win the Australian Open. Two years ago I was in the semis before falling to Rafa in five sets. It’s a special tournament for me.”

On Real Madrid & the upcoming ‘El Clasico’ match against rivals FC Barcelona:

“It will be one of the best Clasicos in recent years as Real Madrid and Barcelona are both better than ever. I definitely don’t think we will be beaten 2-6 like we were at the Bernabeu two years ago; for that match, I was at the stadium and I wanted to die! Of course I hope Real Madrid wins this time!” He was also asked about the similarity between his hair and the new look of Cristiano Ronaldo: “Did I copy his hair? No way, plus he has much more of his hair shaved on sides. And I did it first at Indian Wells last year when I had my mohawk!”

via marca
—–
“I don’t have time to think about sex, just tennis!”

“I have no time to think about sex, just think about tennis”

Fernando has a new sponsor with Head and Shoulders and during a recent campaign, he did an interview, answering some questions.

What does Fernando Verdasco think about?
I think especially tennis because that’s what takes up almost all my time during the year. Now that I’m finishing the season, it’s more about vacations and rest, to recover to get to 100 percent for next year. But in little more than that. I have other things to do that sometimes can stress me out a bit, but tennis is what most occupies my mind.

But surely many other things go through your head when you wake up every morning …
When I wake up I think about what I have to do that day. If I’m playing, I think of the game but in this day and train. But if, for example I have something like a presentation try to concentrate on everything I have to do to be perfect and have everything under control.

It provided that men think about sex … In your case you?
I do not have time to think about sex! (laughs)

And when you take a shower … What are you thinking?
In the shower I try to relax and not think about anything. But the human brain is always thinking whether you’re in the shower, sleeping or playing tennis. If it’s after a match, I’m thinking about how I played.

Is there something you lose sleep over?
I lose sleep over an important match only. Tennis is my profession, my life and this is what I think about most.

And speaking of girls, would you like to know what women think?
I think sometimes they do not know themselves what they think! (Laughs).

Surely more than once, you’ve wondered “what is she thinking …?”
I’m not much interested, but sometimes I do I wonder how a woman is thinking at any given time.

Would you love to know what your opponent is thinking during a match?
Yes! (laughs) I wonder what he will do, how he’ll play or if it he more or less nervous.

40 percent of men worry about having abs; what are you worried about in regards to your image?
I obsessed over my physical appearance. I a lot of training for tennis. I’ve always been fortunate to have a constitution that I have no trouble gaining weight. When I’m not playing tennis, I eat the same and don’t pick up weight. But I do train a lot, that’s true.

And you use creams, to make you cuter?
I use moisturizer on my hands and face because my skin too dry in the sun and air. As tennis players, we are always in the air and I have to take care of my skin so I don’t look like I’m 40, I do not want that. But I’m not obsessed at all with my look.

When will we see you playing again?
I’m going to London on Friday to be an alternate for the World Tour Finals and will be waiting in case someone is injured. I’ll be there a few days and when there is no possibility of playing, I’m going back home so I can organize my holiday. Although beginning December 7 I will end my holidays to continue training and on the 29th, I will go to Australia to begin training for the new season in January.

(via que!)

Fernando announced via his twitter that he WILL be playing the PTT Thailand Open in Bangkok next week. This should be his finalized schedule for the rest of 2010:

Depending on how his final ranking looks, he might also look to booking a spot at the World Tour Finals for the second consecutive year, so fingers crossed :)

R Nadal/F. VERDASCO, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Fernando.

Q. How difficult were the conditions today?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Very. Very difficult for both of us. But I think that, you know, for the game I need to beat Rafa, these conditions was very bad for me.

Q. Q. What bothered you most, the serve?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Everything.

Q. What was your game plan going out, and how did you have to change it because of the wind?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: My game plan was try to push him all I can with my serve. It was very difficult even to make the toss of the ball. And try to play aggressive, try to play inside of the court, play, you know, normal, but good tactically. When I had the chance, tried to play hard and go to the net to close the point, but it was when I had these balls, the ball was moving all the time and was impossible to play the game, like I said, that I think that I need to make to try to have chances to beat Rafa.

Q. With Rafa playing so well here at the US Open, how does somebody beat him

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I don’t know. Everybody have better days than on others. He’s playing good, but I think that he will have a tough if I am not wrong, I think that he will play the final against Roger. It’s gonna be a tough match, because I think Roger play really good in these conditions. He gonna be a very tough final for Rafa if he plays against Roger in the final.

Q. So you think Roger’s about the only one who has the game to beat Rafa right now?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, Novak is a player that also on fast surface like this one, he already beat Rafa many times, and he have also the game to beat Rafa. But, I don’t know. I think if I need to bet here, I will bet for Roger. I think that he won five times here and he like these conditions.

F. VERDASCO/D. Ferrer, 5-7, 6-7⁸, 6-3, 6-3, 7-6⁴

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Fernando.

Q. What was going through your mind when you were down the two sets and then down 1 4 in the fifth set tiebreaker? How were you able to come back?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Like I said after the match, after I lost the first two sets, of course, it’s tough. You know, that you don’t have margin to recover. You just need to win all the other sets. About the tiebreak, you know, just trying to fight till the end. I came back till the fifth set, and of course even that I was 4 1 down in the tiebreak, I was not going to say, okay, that’s it. I was going to try my best till the end. Just that, no? Just try to play good, try to play aggressive, try to do my game, and the things came in a good way, no? I was, of course with 4 1 down in the tiebreak much more chances to lose than to win, but I didn’t. Just fighting and trying.

Q. Could you kind of describe match point? That’s a shot that is going to go down for a long time.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Is tough to explain. You are just you are with your sixth sense in the ball, in the point, knowing how important is, and, you know, just trying to run, fight, all the balls. So when I did the backhand along the line passing shot, you know, I was like even surprised that he took the volley. Of course, my reaction was just keeping the point and start running forward. Because normally with these volleys it’s a dropshot, no, you gonna make another long volley. So I start running, and I just saw that space. (Smiling.) You know, is tough. Is tough to explain, because is like really short period of time and you are just running and trying to get the ball. When you see there a little bit of space, you just try to put the ball in. It was like unbelievable.

Q. But was the space you were looking at actually between the net and the chair?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I was just first trying to get the ball; after that, yeah, it was only space. He was in the middle of the court, so I didn’t see a space to play crosscourt. I saw a little bit of space just on the top of the net, just in between, like you said, the chair and the net, and I just tried to put the ball inside, inside out no, outside in, and it’s good. (Laughing.) So happy when I saw that the ball was going in.

Q. What kind of treatment did you require after this match? Anything unusual?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Just try to eat good, drink good, rest a lot, and of course hot massage, stretch on everything that you need, no? It’s not also good if you are like having massage for three hours or stretching for three hours. I think that just the normal routine, like every match, no? Like maybe about 20 minutes stretching and about maybe one hour massage.

Q. But no IV or anything like that?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: No. Maybe you can take some anti inflammatories. You know, it’s a very long match, and normally you have your body pretty you know, you have pain in your foot and your nails and in part of the body of course from tension of the match. You take some anti inflammatories, and that’s the only thing. The other thing is just eat a lot of proteins and carbs to try to recover the best and as soon as possible.

Q. You’re gonna maybe play Nadal in the next round. You have not a great record against him. Can you just talk about the challenge of playing Nadal, and also talk about if you feel like his serve has changed or has improved in the last few months.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yeah, well, I think that in this tournament I improve my serve a lot. It was one of maybe the biggest change from the last tournament to this US Open. Gets me a lot of free points, and, you know, like confidence.

Q. I’m talking about Nadal’s serve.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Oh, Nadal’s serve? No, well, I think he’s serving also better. You know, I think that he even improved the serve. In Wimbledon this year he was serving better than normally. I don’t think about that, of the grip, no? I don’t see like really, you know he’s there, and I don’t see when he’s serving a big change in his grip. But he comes with confidence, no? He’s making a great year. Of course when you are with confidence and you are trying new things like, for example, hit stronger the serve, you know, is easier to work well than when you are without confidence. So I think that he improve his serve, and of course helping him to improve his game, also.

Q. Did you and David Ferrer talk in the locker room after the match at all?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, we just saw each other for a few seconds, and we just, you know, normal. He told me, well done. I told him, like, I’m really sorry. Then I told him, like, you know, that we need to keep fighting to be both in the Masters Cup. We have a great relationship. Of course when you lose a match like this today for him if I lost this match, for sure I’d be so upset and pissed in the — it’s true — in the locker room. But at the end, you know, we are good friends, and I want him the best, no? I want him to be in the Masters Cup. And of course I hope that he will do it.

Q. Looking ahead to the Nadal match, because I don’t think you’ve had that many been two sets down and come backs like that. Does that give you massive confidence, what you pulled off today?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I hope that is gonna give me big confidence, this match. And also I hope to be 100% physically after a tough match like today to play against one player like Nadal that you need to be like 100% to try to face him, no, to try to beat him. You know, I will just try to do all the things right and good, as best as possible. Then if he wins his match like he’s winning right now and I play against him Thursday, I will just try to play my best tennis and try to beat him for first time. Everybody knows that he’s No. 1 in the world; he’s great player. My record is not good against him. But I will keep trying and keep fighting to make the first time here.

Q. Can you talk about your physical state here. When you were treated in third set, was that your ankle?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: It was because the tape that they made me before the match, it was like giving me a little bit like a blister in my Achilles tendon. So it was bothering me, and I just said to change it, to cut it and make a new one, because it was cutting a little bit and making me a little bit of blister in the Achilles tendon. That’s all.

F. VERDASCO/D. Nalbandian, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Fernando.

Q. Felt like you served very well and he didn’t serve maybe as well as could have. Did that feel like the important swing in the match?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, maybe. I think everything is important in one match. When you play like two good players, everything can change the match, no?

It was windy, and not as windy as yesterday, but it was windy. Sometimes was tough to play, no? Tough to even serve in one side with the sun.

So, you know, I think that, yeah, maybe I served better than him and that gave me a little bit of advantage. But I think also that mentally I was really strong, even like in the first set for four games, almost 40 minutes, I was there all the time. You know, I’m positive and really good and focused.

So I think that that was the key. Also, even when I lost the second set, I was feeling good. So I think everything was important today to make the victory.

Q. Even though you didn’t break him the first few games, did you get a sense you had a lot more chances the rest of the match based on how was playing?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I think that the match, the beginning of the match was tough. I had, like you said, few breakpoints, I didn’t do it. It was four games, 40 minutes. But I was feeling great physically all the time.

I knew that I was, like, I really need to be all the time focused and be positive to beat one guy like Nalbandian right now in this moment.

So, you know, I did it, and I’m happy of how the match goes and how I played today.

Q. Can you talk about playing David? All the Spaniards are doing well here. What are your feelings on that?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yeah, well, it’s good that he’s gonna be for sure one Spanish in quarterfinals, and maybe, you know, if Feliciano wins and Rafa wins, also another Spanish in quarterfinals will be in that part of the draw.

If that is done today, one semifinals for sure will be Spanish also. So, you know, it’s always nice to see all the Spanish winning and being in the last rounds, no? So if you need to lose, it’s better to lose against a Spanish player, then at least one guy is gonna be there one round more, no?

I’m happy. I hope to play good also the next round, keep doing my work and my job as better as possible. Trying to play the best to be in the quarterfinals like last year.

Q. Do you feel better now than you did maybe in Washington?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yeah, for sure I am feeling much better. The last weeks before here, the results was really like really tough.

I lost with Mardy 7-6, 7-6. With Chardy also with the tiebreaks. It was, you know, like tough matches, close matches. Finally I lost all of them.

So I’m happy how is this tournament going, and I’m getting much more confidence. For sure, the match of today, winning Nalbandian that is one of the players in best conditions this summer is gonna help me for my confidence and for get better work and better tennis the next matches.

Fernando has recently joined the Twitter craze and you can follow his account below

FerVerdasco83

There’s also a little feed on the sidebar where you can view his most recent tweets, right above the one to view the most recent tweets from this site’s twitter, verdasconews. In addition, there are some links to the site’s facebook, twitter and youtube accounts, and a link to send me an email if you need to!

Fernando is currently training in Las Vegas right now. His next tournament starts in just about a week, at Legg Mason in Washington DC. After that, he’ll be playing the Toronto and Cincinnati Masters before preparing for the final Slam of the year at the US Open. Vamos Fernando!