Rafael Nadal

“In Majorca, I can be myself. I go to the supermarket and the cinema, and I am just Rafa. Everyone knows me, and it is no big deal. I can go all day - no photographs.”

“My motivation is tomorrow, just one day at a time, right?”

“I like fishing. Not actual fishing - I like the peace and quiet of being at sea. It's different.”

“Even if I have already peaked, I have to believe I can improve. I wake up every morning, and go to practice, with the illusion that I'm going to get better that day.”

“My tennis is aggressive, though I wouldn't say that it's more physical than technical. I rely more on technique than physique, but being physical is always a help to me.”

“My serve can get better, for sure. It's not just about serving bombs, but positioning, variation in speed, in spin.”

“You know, a lot of things changed. What never changed is the illusion to keep playing tennis, the illusion to keep doing well the things, and the illusion to be in a good position of the ran...”

“I think when you compete every week, when you play under pressure daily, you find your rituals to be 100 percent focused on what you're doing.”

“As a tennis player you can win and you can lose, and you have to be ready for both. I practised self-control as a kid. But as you get older they both - winning and losing - get easier.”

“I have been learning English on the road since I started when I was 15, so it is a slow process but making some progress. Now I think I am much more comfortable with my English. However, it...”

“Being home alone at night makes me a bit nervous. If I'm at home alone, I have to sleep on the sofa - I can't face going to bed. I'm there with the TV on and all the lights on. I'm not very...”

“New York is a special place; it's a city that I love.”

“I think I am a complete player. I can play well on all the surfaces. For me, the clay might be easiest, but I am not a specialist on clay.”

“The thing, when you're down two sets to love, is to stay calm, even though it's hard, because people are freaking out, people are worried for you.”

“I'm only superstitious on the tennis court.”

“I'll never have a tattoo - I just don't like them, and when you're old they can look a disaster. As for piercings, I don't like them on men.”

“I am happy with being a tennis player and the choice I took when I was 12. But clearly, if I wouldn't have been a tennis player, I would have loved to be a soccer player. But again, I am hap...”

“I have the same bedroom I've always had. It's clean and tidy when I get home, and after two or three days it gets messy and my mother nags me.”

“I admire a lot of people, but in terms of sport I've always loved the mentality of Tiger Woods on a golf course. I always love his eyes when he's setting himself and focusing on his decision...”

“I've stayed calm when I'm winning and I've stayed calm when I've lost. Tennis is a sport where we have a lot of tournaments every week, so you can't celebrate a lot when you have big victori...”