If you hadn't met Mirka, you wouldn't have won 20 Grand Slam titles.
Phew... yes, I think so. She was so supportive, pushing me towards tennis instead of saying all the time, "Yeah, when did you finish?" She had a lot of impact in my life, but also on a court.
If Nadal had been right-handed, you would have 25 Grand Slam titles.
Right now, I would say no. Because I'm not sure that I would have beaten him more often. And I'm still convinced that if it hadn't been him, it would have been someone else. It happened that way.
Beating Pete Sampras in 2001 was a lot to take.
No. It was a great experience that gave me a boost and a better understanding that you can't just push a button and say, "Okay, I'll play like I did against Sampras. I thought about it for a few months after that win and I realized that not many players play like Sampras and you don't always feel like you did at Wimbledon that day. The win wasn't too much of a burden, but what was more of a burden was hearing over and over, "You're the next Sampras." Early in my career, when I was already being told that, I felt like I didn't deserve the comparison to Pete. And even then, after that win, it was no more justified, by the way.
You owe a lot to the Peruvian Luis Horna, who beat you in the first round of the French Open in 2003, before your first title at Wimbledon a few days later.
No, I owe more to my mental strength. Horna was just an opponent at that moment. It's true that it started the machine a little bit. It was an experience that allowed me to understand how to manage a Grand Slam, how to manage matches. I stopped underestimating some players and thinking that I could win the French Open or even just make the quarterfinals. It's true that this match certainly created something. But there have been many matches like this in my career. This is not the only one.
82 unforced errors in a single match, that can't have happened very often...
(Laughs.) I didn't know where the court was that day!
Without winning the French Open in 2009, but with 23 Grand Slam titles, your career would not be as successful.
Fifty-fitfy. There are many players who have not won the French Open and yet have complete careers. Today, in 2022, you have to have won everything, beaten all the records, otherwise you have not succeeded... (He stops.) No, I choose the 20 with the French.
If Robin Söderling hadn't beaten Rafael Nadal that year, you would never have won the French Open.
(Long hesitation.) I say no. Of course, there's no guarantee, but I think I would have managed to win the French in one way or another.
The 2003 YEC is one of the most important tournaments of your life.
Yes. I've said it many times, it gave me the confidence to beat the best players from the baseline. I remember when the group came out, with Agassi, Nalbandian and Ferrero, who were all baseline players, I thought I'd try to play them from the back of the court to see what happens. There was that mega-match at the beginning against Agassi (6-7, 6-3, 7-6 win) and the rest is history (final win against Agassi, again, in the final). But that's where I proved to myself that I can play any type of player and beat them at their best. I gained the ultimate confidence there.
Nobody will ever match the "monster" you created between 2004 and 2007.
I say it will happen again. Because it's easier today to win on any surface. The possibility is real. I don't have in mind the best years of Rafa or Novak, but they were very close, right? I see a lot of records falling in the next 50 years and that's normal, because the players are going to be focused on that. But it's not going to be easy because it's long, and it's a lot of matches!
During this period of domination and until 2010, you played 23 semifinals in a row in Grand Slam. That's your craziest stat.
Yes, it probably is. 23 in a row is huge. Those are kind of abnormal numbers for me. Almost like it's become routine, and I don't mean that in an arrogant way. "Here we go, OK, one more semi, who's going to win? We'll see..." That kind of longevity, I can't believe I've accomplished it in my career. When I hear that, it always strikes me.
In the summer of 2013, following your back problems, you were very close to quitting tennis.
No (firm). No, it was just, I'm not going to say a big deal, but here's the thing, how do I get out of it? I was in pain so much that I couldn't do it anymore. It started in Indian Wells against (Ivan) Dodig, and then I still play Stan (Wawrinka, 7-5 win in the third), and then Rafa (lost 6-4, 6-2) and now I'm not moving. I play in a completely different way. Then it was really fragile for a long time. When the back is not good, it is not good. Towards the end of the year, it was a little bit better, but it was a very difficult year. It changed the way I engaged on defensive shots. At some point, I was able to get away from that. But thinking about quitting, no, never.
Some said at the time that at 32, it was perhaps time to stop...
(He cuts off.) But it's always the same, it was the same at Wimbledon last year when they said "Oh yeah, this isn't the same anymore .... "There was not ONE question at the press conference about my knee, which for me is phenomenal! Because that's all I could think about! For months, every day, every hour, every minute. And finally, I don't even have to explain myself about the knee. I was happy, by the way, but at the same time, I didn't understand what people had seen. Either I hide my problems so well, or people don't understand or don't want to talk about it because they're nice. And 2013 was the same way. People judge you without knowing. You can't reveal everything, but deep down you know, "If you knew what I was going through right now..." It's hard because you almost want to say, "I can't, I have a sore back, guys!" "OK then, why are you playing?" "Well, it's still okay just to try...". Those are moments I'm glad I don't have to live through anymore. Every time you say you're hurting or something, it's "Ah, the guy is a sore loser..." It's a super thin line. I tried to handle those moments as best I could, but, inevitably, I made mistakes in that area.
Your perfect match is the 2004 US Open final against Hewitt (win 6-0, 7-6, 6-0).
I've said many times that if I had a replay, this would be it. In a Grand Slam final, to start and finish 6-0, I think that's fabulous. It will be interesting to see how many times this kind of match will be repeated in the future. Usually, in a Grand Slam final, you have someone in front of you who causes you problems. Plus, Hewitt, for me, was a problem. It was really in that match that wow, I felt like everything I was doing, the different variations, it was amazing. That's when I really settled in as world number one, so that was a very special match, yeah.
Better than against Andy Roddick in the final of Wimbledon 2005 (victory 6-2, 7-6, 6-4) ?
Against Andy, I also felt that I was in the zone, that nothing could happen to me. But Hewitt came first, that's why I retain this match.
This state of absolute invincibility happened to you often?
Well, sometimes, fortunately. Let's say, a good ten times, in any case. But you get in that state when you're ahead in the score, when you feel the ball, when you hit your forehands on the line, in the corner, on a difficult passing shot that you try anyway because it's become normal because you're so serene... I really appreciate having had those moments several times. Because it's the ultimate dream for any athlete.
If you were to replay just one point from your career, it would be the second championship point at Wimbledon in 2019.
Um... I have to think about it, because there have been several of these points (he thinks). I say yes. Because it's true that it was important, and I can't think of any others right now, even though I know there have been many, many others. I think of Wimbledon 2008 against Rafa. The 2009 US Open against Delpo, which is still a defeat that hurts me today because I think I could have won. But I wonder if there wasn't something against Rafa at some point at the French, a point that could have turned a match in my direction... So I say yes because at least I know what point you're talking about, I still see how it goes.
If you had to keep only one Grand Slam title, it would be the 2017 Australian Open.
(Without hesitation.) I say no! I say 2003, Wimbledon. It's the first one, it launches everything. It's a dream come true. If the career ends there, I'm happy. 2017, it was in a completely different state and situation. It was epic, yes. But if there's no 2003, there are no others.
Without Nadal and Djokovic, you wouldn't have invented SABR in 2015.
(He wonders.) Why did I invent SABR, again? For me, it had nothing to do with the other two, anyway. In fact, I made it that way while laughing with Benoît Paire, once in Cincinnati (in 2015), during a first training session with jet lag (he takes a long breath). Oh yes, because Seve wanted me to get back on the court, And, so I say to him: "You mean like this?" (He mimes a shot on the rise). And it all started from there. There had already been an attempt in Switzerland during a training session, if I remember well, but it is with Benoît that it took shape. I was doing such crazy things, winner, tac, ping-pong, you couldn't believe it, we were all laughing together, you'll have to ask Benoît one day. It was a training completely relaxed. You arrive around 3pm, your match is at 8pm, at nightfall, we were alone on the center court, it was beautiful...
Without Djokovic and Nadal, you would have stopped your career earlier.
No, I don't think so. I would have found other sources of motivation to keep going.
You have sometimes dreamed of ending your career with a Grand Slam victory, like Sampras.
I would say yes, in a certain vision. But it should have been decided before. You can't say, "Oh, that sounds good, here", without talking to the team, without talking to your family, nothing. Like, "You know what, I'm going to marry you!" You still have to take the time. I've never made decisions like that. But it's true that it would have been nice, even if Sampras didn't announced it right away. He waited for a while to make up his mind, it's different to take the microphone at the moment. Anyway, as I say now, it's the end of a fairy tale.
In the end, it's your game more than your record that leaves a mark on the history of tennis.
Yes, I was surprised to see how much people talked about my personality or my game as being what will remain in the sport. I thought everyone was going to jump on the super records, what I did or didn't do, when in fact they didn't. The notion of longevity, the fact of having known the older generation is more important. After 2009, once I managed to break the record of Grand Slam titles, the situation changed. In fact, to a certain extent, I was playing against myself before the others (Nadal and Djokovic) joined me. The next 13 years were different. Like another career.
Do you regret never having played Carlos Alcaraz?
Of course, it's disappointing that I never got to play against him. Obviously, I followed closely what he did at the US Open and throughout the year. It was fantastic, his game is brilliant and I always said that there would always be new superstars in tennis. He is one of them. Sometimes people tend not to believe it, like when Pete and Andre left. They thought, "What are we going to get now?" Well, it was Novak, Rafa, myself, Murray, Stan... I have a funny anecdote with Carlos, because I trained with him at Wimbledon when he was still a junior. I thought he was already playing well. It was like a warm-up. And Juan Carlos (Ferrero, his coach) was there. The next day, on my day off, we did it again, as we often do when you train with someone. But I said, "I'd rather hit with Juan Carlos," just because I'm super laid back in practice and I felt like playing with Ferrero for fun. It was great. He didn't miss a single ball. He could still be on the tour. I'm really happy that they are both so successful together.
Sometimes you go on vacation to Manacor to remind Rafa that you beat him in your last match.
(He laughs.) But I don't even know where it was the last time we played each other! Wimbledon 2019? I couldn't even remember. No, I see myself going on vacation there and sending my kids to the academy. Besides, we've already talked about it with Mirka. I won't remind him that, this is not my style. I know a lot of athletes do it, but I'm not like that at all, it's not me.
