Sorry for the lack of updates here! I’m working at a summer camp since two weeks ago and that’s taken up a lot of my time. As you probably already know, Fer lost in the first round of Wimbledon to Fabio Fognini, so he’s been taking some down time over the past two weeks, and now we’re heading into Davis Cup quarterfinal weekend. Fernando, as well as David Ferrer, Nicolas Almagro and Feliciano Lopez, will make up the team that Spain will send to France for their quarterfinal tie on the indoor hard courts of Clermont-Ferrand. They’ll face a French team comprised of Gael Monfils, Gilles Simon (who replaces and injured Jo-Wilfried Tsonga), Michael Llodra and Julien Benneteau.

The tie will be broadcast live on several international stations, and you can check here for times and channels! Below, you can read and listen to an interview that Fer did with Craig Gabriel:

“Everyone who asks me that, how I see this tie, I say that it’s going to be one of the hardest for the last many years. They have so solid team. They will put, what I think, what I’ve heard, a very fast court. It’s going to be very difficult.

“It’s going to be a really hard, tough crowd, but we have already experienced in Davis Cup with tough crowds, like Argentina. I think that in the players playing now, all of us, we have already enough experience to handle that situation. So I think it’s going to be everything on the court.

“Both teams are unbelievable complete teams, two singles unbelievable and doubles so good, both of them. I think it’s going to be so, so close. Maybe it’s going to 3-2, or maybe it can be 5-0 for one or 5-0 for the other one because that every match is going to be so hard and so close. In Davis Cup you never know. It’s that thing that makes Davis Cup so special.”

“[Winning in Argentina] was of course one point in my career that everything changed. I was No. 16 in the world in that match against Acasuso and just one month later I did the semis in Australia and I went into the Top 10 for the first time in my life.

“The confidence, the spirit, everything that the tie in Argentina gave me, like a person, like a player, it was so much, so important for me. After that I need to say that everything changed so much.”
–

click above to hear an audio version of the full interview

Fernando wrote an article for the UK’s Daily Mail Online about his hopes for the upcoming Wimbledon Championships, and a little about where he stays, what he eats and what his practice routine is like during the grass Slam.

WIMBLEDON 2010: Fernando Verdasco: A house near SW19? No way, who’d do the cleaning?

Being from Madrid and growing up on hard courts, it’s always tough getting used to the grass after a year away. But you must do it as soon as possible, because this is the most important tournament. If I could pick a Grand Slam to win, it would be Wimbledon.

My preparation has been hard this year because I finished the French Open with a foot injury and had to pull out of Queen’s, but I’m feeling fine now.

I arrived in London last Tuesday and played exhibition matches at the Boodles tournament at Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire on Friday and Saturday to get the rhythm of grass.

There are so many traditional things that make Wimbledon so special: how beautiful it is, the grass and the buildings; that they won’t let you have sponsors on your kit; all the players have to play in white; and that they serve strawberries and cream.

I’ve reached the fourth round three times now, but I’ve got sad memories of SW19 because I’ve lost big matches when I had really good chances to win.

They’re the hardest losses to take, probably the hardest of my career.

I was two sets to one up against Radek Stepanek and 3-0 up in the fourth in 2006, but failed to reach the quarter-finals. Then, in 2008, I was two sets and a break up against Mario Ancic and I lost 13-11 in the fifth.

They were really tough experiences for me. I’ve never played against Fabio Fognini, my first-round opponent, on grass before, although I beat him on clay in Acapulco, Mexico, this year.

But if all goes well, I could meet Andy Murray in the quarter-finals. I’m really looking forward to trying to make that happen.

It would be such a great experience to play the British No 1 at Wimbledon. If I reached that far, it would be one of those matches you keep in your memory for the rest of your life.

I know what it’s like to have your home crowd willing you on from the matches I’ve played in Madrid. It’s a great feeling, but it makes you feel more pressure because you want to win so badly — a bit like England or Spain in the World Cup.

I watched Spain’s first match and, of course, I would like to see all the matches — but I’ll put the tennis first.

My family are coming over for the tournament and we prefer to stay in a hotel in central London, rather than a house in Wimbledon village, because there are so many of us.

It’s a bit quieter. There will be around eight of us this year: my parents, my little sister, my cousin, a couple of friends and my fitness coach.

We had the chance to get a house near the All England Club this year, but my father didn’t really like the idea. It would be difficult to find somewhere to eat every night, plus we would have to clean and look after the house — and we don’t want to be doing that!

In the evenings, we like to go and have dinner at a Spanish restaurant in Kensington.

The owner is a friend of mine and knows all the Spanish players.

We go there quite a lot during the tournament. Wherever we are in the world, we normally go to Italian restaurants and eat plenty of carbohydrates but here, since we’ve found this restaurant, we can eat our own food, such as Spanish ham and tortillas.

We spend so much time out of Spain, it’s nice to find a piece of home. I also enjoy the strawberries and cream at the Club, although the cream isn’t too healthy. I can’t be having too much of that!

My day-to-day routine varies. It depends on the draw. We’ll go to Wimbledon and hit in the morning, then warm up and play a match. My best friend on tour is Feliciano Lopez, but I practise with a lot of different players.

If we have any free time, we might go for a walk down Oxford Street and do a bit of shopping. But in Grand Slams you must really focus all your energy on the tournament.

You just have to play and practice and then rest. Let’s just hope it doesn’t rain too much!

(via daily mail)

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.

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 is looking forward to continuing his winning ways this week in his hometown tournament of Madrid, hoping to keep improving his game, both physically and mentally.

“It’s the best start to a season of my career,” says the 26-year-old, who has claimed titles in San Jose and Barcelona this season, as well as reaching the finals in Monte Carlo and the semifinals in Rome. “I am very happy with what has been happening in these past few weeks and I hope I will continue to achieve these kind of results.

“I know that this will not always be possible, but I will do my best to be able to stay where I am for six weeks or longer and if I have the same consistency, then I will finish in my best position ever.”

Currently ranked No. 9 in the world, Fernando reached the quarterfinals in Madrid in 2009. having grown up in Madrid, he is used to playing in the high altitude and, with wins over the likes of world No. 2 Novak Djokovic and world No. 8 Andy Roddick under his belt this season, is considered a genuine contender to claim his hometown title.

“I’m more accustomed than most of them to the conditions here, because I’ve trained here and I’ve lived her all my life. In these tournaments, every match is very hard. I will start against Karlovic, who does not give you much rhythm with his serve. You have to be very focused throughout the match with his serve, because he does not give you many chances and you can not make mistakes.

“Every single match is always tough. I believe that I am playing at a good level. I have confidence, I want to take it once match at a time, but that does not mean that I am not thrilled and willing to win the tournament. With Rafa in the draw, it will be difficult, but when you lose against a player like Rafa, it’s normal. He is one of the best players in history. The strange thing is to beat him.

“I hope that one day in the future, maybe this week if we meet in the semifinals, I can beat him. No one is unbeatable, so I will try every time I play against him.”

Fernando kicks off the Madrid Masters this week against Ivo Karlovic of Croatia in the second round after receiving a first-round bye.

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.”

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“Until the 5-1 things were going okay for me and also, he wasn’t playing his best and made some mistakes. Later, perhaps he saw that I was tired – not from the 5-1 but ever since I got up this morning. He started to play better and became more solid on the court, and what happened, happened. The match yesterday was long and very physical against Novak. I was feeling good mentally but my body wasn’t feeling the same as before and so I was slower and had less power. Against a player like David, yes, I was at 5-1 but I was making some mistakes and I wasn’t playing a good game. After, he became solid and started moving the ball around the court and it was very hard for me and I was missing a lot of balls. It’s hard to play like this when your legs don’t do what you want them to do and against a player like this, your chances are very small.”

“I think that I had a hard but a very good three weeks. Of course the match yesterday was very hard and all the power that I had, I lost yesterday and today I felt that. Today I wasn’t feeling great but I have played perhaps the best three weeks on clay in my life and I need to be positive and now of course, I need to recover for a few days and then start practising again for Madrid. I hope to have the same weeks that I had both here and in Monte Carlo and Barcelona. You know, I got to the quarter-finals last year and now the semi-finals here and so I just want to recover first and then play and practise a lot to be perfect for Madrid and then Roland Garros.”

“If you win all of the matches in two sets, then you can play three weeks in a row. If you have matches in three sets or matches that last for a three or three-and-a-half hours with a lot of pressure and high intensity, then it is much more difficult. If you have matches like the one I played yesterday with Novak, then it is difficult and you cannot resist two weeks winning or getting to the final every week. If you win all of the matches that you play like Rafa has been doing for many years and if he has decided not to do it this year, then he has his reasons. It always depends on the matches you play.”

R. NADAL/F. Verdasco, 6-0, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Fernando.

Q. Is Rafael better than ever before?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I don’t know. I think he was pretty good also before than the same like he played today and the same he was playing this week. He was like doing this six years, of course, some moments better than other ones. But if you remember Roland Garros when he beat Federer in three sets really easy, he was also playing unbelievable.

Q. How tough was it out there?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yeah, no, well, of course, if you see the score, is a big difference. But in some games I had some chances to be closer, you know, to make him think a little bit more.

But, you know, I think that he had unbelievable day and he played really good. He didn’t let me attack him so good, with balls really high and deep.

And then I also didn’t have maybe a good day, no, because I was trying to force and making more mistakes than unusual.

Q. Do you think he’s back to his best level?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I think that he played really good during all the week, no? Not only today. I think he played unbelievable.

And on clay, I think last year he lost against Soderling and against Federer because he was like really tired, and also with problems in the knee. If he is not with this, I think he’s still the best on clay by far.

Q. What do you think, generally speaking, you have to do to try to beat this guy on clay? What is the tactic?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I don’t know (smiling). You are asking me something that if I know I will do today on the court.

Q. What happened when you called the trainer?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: My neck got stuck in the third game of the match.

Q. He was already giving you a headache?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, no, nothing with headache.

Q. Did you feel you became a little nervous towards the end of the match?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, I was feeling okay. I was feeling the same like yesterday. Yesterday and today, it was my first semifinal, my first final. It was like all the normal nervous that you have when you have important match. Nothing special, I think, out of normal.

Q. You had lost to him very badly also in Roland Garros. Has it changed anything from there? Is it exactly more or less the same difference?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Every match is different. From Roland Garros to here, pass many times, many matches together. You know, every match is different.

Q. But you are a much stronger player now than you were probably two years ago. How do you explain the score was still so bad?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Always not the score is the reflection of the game.

Q. What do you think you needed to do a little bit better today to make it a real contest and have a chance to maybe get some doubt in his head?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I think if he plays like he play today, not only with me, I think if he plays like this, nobody can beat him.

So I cannot say something that you guys doesn’t know. I think that he was beating everyone during six years here, and I’m one more of all these. I cannot tell you something new, no?

I think that if he plays like this, nobody can beat him. What do you want me to tell you?

Q. Only on clay or all surfaces?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, on clay for sure is the biggest difference. Hard court, more players beat him, you know, in the last year, for example, like Soderling, Davydenko, Federer and other players. On clay, is only two players.

Q. Behind Nadal, who are the best clay court players that you think are in the top five?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Right now?

Q. Yes.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I think I can put myself in the top five right now. But also there are very good players. I think Ferrer and Ferrero, they’re having unbelievable year. Also Federer is going to be there for sure. I don’t know, maybe Djokovic if he’s in a good shape also.