level 15
Stilla Fan Favorite, Nadal Wins in Return
Paul Chiasson/The CanadianPress, via Associated Press
By HARVEY ARATON
Published: August 7, 2013
MONTREAL — Homecoming aside, Jesse Levine realized he would not be much of afan favorite when he was introduced before his opponent Wednesday in asecond-round match at the Rogers Cup.
The ovation he received was warm, but nothing compared with the roar thatgreeted RafaelNadal at Uniprix Stadium.
“I think he took the cake on that,” said Levine, 25, who had played as anAmerican professional until this year, when he declared himself arepresentative of Canada, the country of his birth.
Nadal also took the contest, 6-2, 6-0, in his first match since losing in thefirst round at Wimbledon to the Belgian journeyman Steve Darcis.
That was the first time Nadal had lost in the opening round of a Grand Slamevent. His left knee was clearly troubling him by the end of the Darcis match.When he withdrew from a clay-court tournament in Hamburg later in July, therewas speculation he would miss a second straight summer hardcourt season.
“You know, Majorca is a great place to be in the summer,” Nadal said, smiling,trying to play down the severity of his chronic knee problems.
“你知道,马洛卡是避暑胜地”,纳达尔笑着说,试图缓和多年膝伤的问题。
That said, Nadal admitted that the pounding of hardcourt tennis across Augusthas made it difficult for him to project how fit he will be for the UnitedStates Open later this month.
“It’s very difficult after what happened to me last year to look that farahead,” he said. “I’ll go step by step, day by day, week by week.”
“去年经历的这些事让我很难对将来做出什么预测。我会一步一步,脚踏实地。”
After seven weeks of inactivity, Nadal arrived in Montreal last week to beginpracticing on the hardcourts. The knee was pain-free, he said, motivating himto enter the doubles draw with his Spanish countryman Pablo Andújar.
经过七周的静养,纳达尔上周来到蒙特利尔开始了硬地训练。膝盖没有痛感,这才激励他同同胞安度参加了双打比赛。
“I play for practice,” Nadal said. “After seven weeks without playing atournament, one match of doubles before I play singles can help.”
On Tuesday, Nadal may have gotten more practice than he needed when he andAndújar won their first match but needed to play a 12-10 third set to do so.But Nadal showed no ill effects in dispatching Levine on a windy day thatplayed havoc with some of his topspin ground strokes early in the match.
Once Nadal settled in, Levine was overpowered.
“He was hitting the ball well and moving well,” said Levine, who had playedNadal just once before. “It’s good to see him back on tour. He’s so good forthe sport — such a fan favorite.”
“他击球很好,移动也很棒。很高兴能看到他重回赛场,他对于网球运动很有益,广受球迷的喜爱。”
As for Levine, he has become accustomed to enjoying partisan late-summersupport in New York the past few years. After making the switch to play forCanada — he was born in Ottawa and lived there until he was 14 — he joked thathe might have to wear a helmet when he returns in about three weeks.
“A Rough Riders helmet,” he said, laughing, referring to Ottawa’s professionalfootball team.
2013年08月08日 07点08分
10
level 15
Q. The last time you played on hard was Indian Wells. You won it. Then you pulled out of Miami because too much tennis on hard is not very good for the body, I understand.
RAFAEL NADAL: Was not exactly like this, was not exactly that situation (smiling).
I pulled out of Miami because I played in Sao Paulo, Chile, Acapulco, all the finals. Then I won in Indian Wells. I have to play Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Roland Garros. Is because I felt that I didn't feel great of my knee. I felt that I need to improve to compete well in Europe. That's why I take a month without playing tennis to prepare the clay court season.
问:你上一次参加的硬地比赛时印第安威尔斯。你赢了。接着又退出了迈阿密,因为太多的硬地参赛会对膝盖造成压力。这我能理解。
豆:并不完全是这样。(笑)我退出迈阿密是因为我已经参加过巴西,智利,墨西哥这几站,而且都打进决赛,接着又赢得了迈阿密冠军。下面我还需要参加蒙卡,巴塞,马德里,罗马和法网。我退出迈阿密是因为我觉得自己的膝盖并不好。我觉得自己要在欧洲红土赛事中提高竞争力。这就是为什么我花了一个月做休整,来准备红土赛季。
Q. This being said, hard court here, Cincinnati, US Open, how do you feel about a lot of tennis on this surface for the body?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. I am here in Montréal. I go step by step, day to day, week by week. I'm happy to be here in Montréal. It's a tournament I really like. I like the people from here. I feel very comfortable when I am playing here in Montréal. The atmosphere always was great.
I played very nice matches in this fantastic court. The organization of the tournament, the director of tournament, always was very nice with me. I enjoy being here. I don't think farther than that. I think about the match of tomorrow, and then we'll see in Cincinnati, then we'll see in the US Open.
That's my philosophy today because is very difficult after what happened to me last year think that far. I take a rest of seven weeks, obligatory rest, because I didn't want to rest. I wanted to play on Hamburg because I felt that was better for my tennis, but I didn't have that chance.
So I am here. I won the first match. That's important for me. Always be through and have the chance to play more matches is very positive. We'll see.
问:罗杰斯杯,辛辛那提,美网,在这样的场地上你身体感觉如何?
豆:我不知道,现在在蒙特利尔。我会一步一步,脚踏实地。很高兴能够来到这里。我很喜爱这项巡回赛。喜爱这里的观众。在这里比赛我感觉很舒服。这里的氛围很棒。
我目前要考虑的是明天的比赛。到了辛辛那提再拭目以待吧,然后再看看美网。
这就是我今天的想法。经过去年这样的情况很难让我再想的更多。我休息了七个月,必须要休息,即使我不愿意。我很想去汉堡参加比赛,我想这对我的比赛更加有力,但是我没有那样的机会。
来到这里,我赢得了第一场比赛,这对我很重要。这让我能有机会去打更多的比赛,这对我很有益。我们拭目以待吧。
我打了几场不错的比赛,赛会的组织方,监制总是对我很好。我喜欢这里,也没有想更多。
2013年08月09日 07点08分
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level 15
Q. How are you feeling physically?
RAFAEL NADAL: You know, I am fine. The knee is not bothering much to me. Last couple of days, I was able to practice with no limitation. That is the most important thing. After seven weeks without playing tennis, you start a tournament on hard court, that is tougher for the body. You always feel few things at the beginning.
But hopefully that things will not limit my chances to play well.
问:你身体觉得如何?
豆:我很好。膝盖没有再困扰我。过去几天,我可以毫无顾忌的训练,这很重要。经过七周的休整,从一项硬地赛事付出,对我的身体要求更高。开始总不会很顺畅。
希望这不会限制我的表现。
Q. How long was the wait since your last game? How anxious were you to get back on the court?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, I enjoy little bit being at home with the family, with the friends. Is the summer there, too, so... Mallorca is a good place to be in the summer. I cannot say I was very anxious during this period of time (smiling).
But I wanted to play Hamburg. That's the real thing. Even if it's the summer, everything is fantastic in Mallorca, to arrive here with better chances, I felt Hamburg is better preparation for me, even if it was on clay.
It was not that situation. I came here with the big illusion, motivation to play here. Then I arrived before, and doing the right things to play well. I know is not easy. The court is fast, and the balls make the conditions a little bit of strange. These kind of balls are a little bit strange, in my opinion.
We'll see. But for me every victory is very important to me.
Q. Have you had any reaction when you heard that Roger has changed to a bigger racquet?
RAFAEL NADAL: The racquet? I don't have all the information about that. I heard that he changed the racquet.
Well, at the end everybody tries to makes improvements on his game, working on the court with the materials we have, with everything. I increase my weight of my racquet at the beginning of 2012 little bit. So is a change at the end.
Roger probably tries to find a little bit more help on new racquet. That's all. I think is not nothing dramatic and nothing strange on a tennis player.
问:对于费德勒换球拍你有什么看法吗?
豆:球拍?我知道的也不多,就听说而已。
大家总是想做出改进,用尽一切场上能够用到的东西。12年初我增加了球拍的重量,这也是种改变。
罗杰可能是想在新球拍上寻求更多的帮助,就是这样,我想这没啥好大惊小怪的,对于网球运动员来说是这样。
2013年08月09日 07点08分
17
level 15
Q. You're playing doubles here. You played quite a bit of doubles before with success. Do you play largely for the pleasure of playing doubles or does it really sharpen your game?
RAFAEL NADAL: At the end, the real thing, I have to be honest, I play for practice. I normally don't play doubles in a Masters 1000. Indian Wells and Miami are easier because there is lot of days off between matches. But these kind of tournaments you play every day.
But seven weeks without playing a tennis tournament, as I said before, one match of doubles before the first singles can help me little bit. So that's the reason I was playing doubles.
At the end I take it like a practice, but is a little bit more than a practice. At the end you are in a position that you are competing. You start to feel little more the pressure, the tension that you are playing a tennis match. That helps little bit.
And, seriously, I enjoy a lot playing doubles. If it's not because my physical, I'm not allowed to play as much as I would like. I want to play more doubles because is a good way to practice things that can improve your tennis in general. You can find things in doubles that you can adjust then on the singles that can help you to be better player.
问:你还参加了双打比赛。你之前在双打比赛上取得过一些成功。你是觉得双打比赛能为你带来乐趣还是为了更好的提高你的比赛水准?
豆:老实说,我是为了训练。通常1000大师赛我是不会参加双打的。印第安维尔说和迈阿密会相对容易些因为比赛之间的休息天数会多些。但这些巡回赛却要求你天天比赛。我已经有七周没有参加任何比赛了,就像我之前说的,单打之前参加一场双打比赛对我会有所帮助。这就是我参加双打的原因。
我把它看做是一场训练,却又不仅仅只是训练。最后,你还是把自己置身于竞争之中。在比赛中,你会开始慢慢感受到更多的压力和紧张。
老实说,我很享受参加双打比赛。但我的身体却不允许我参加更多的双打比赛。我很愿意参加更多的双打比赛因为这是一个很好提高的方法。你在双打中会找到问题然后解决他们,这会帮助你成为更好的球员。
Q. Was there anything in your game today that you would have liked to improve for the next game?
RAFAEL NADAL: Everything (smiling). Everything at the end. I didn't play perfect match. I played well.
The conditions out there today were very difficult. I will say I did the right things to be in the next round. To my opponent, the wind and the conditions probably affected much more than me is why that result. But is very difficult to find great feelings when you are playing with these conditions out there. The wind was very strong and very difficult to manage.
So I have to improve in everything. But I happy in everything, too.
问:今年的比赛中有什么方面是下面的比赛中需要改进的吗?
豆:什么都需要,哈哈哈。我没有打出完美的比赛,只是打得还不赖。今年赛场的情况很不好。我只能说我做了些对的事情使得我能够晋级下一轮。对于我的对手而言,可能受到风和环境的影响更大些,所以导致了这个结果。很难有什么感觉可言在这样的环境中比赛。风太大了,太难掌控。所以我想每个方面都要改进,但是我最每个方面又都很满意.
2013年08月09日 07点08分
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