Paris (AFP)

"The conditions are probably the most difficult I have ever known at Roland Garros", described Friday Rafael Nadal, in search of an extraordinary thirteenth coronation on the Parisian clay which would allow him to equal the record of crowns in Grand Slam (20) established by Roger Federer.

Q: You stick with a quarter-final loss in Rome last week for your comeback on clay.

What is your state of mind when you arrive in Paris?

A: "It's a very strange situation for everyone. The situation here is completely different from Rome. In Rome the playing conditions were good. Here they are very, very difficult. It's so cold. Nine degrees (the temperature on Friday morning, editor's note) ... It's an extreme situation to play an outdoor tournament, with rain almost every day, the cold, the wind ... After that, it's been two days that I I'm training here, and I've had a good workout, I have a positive feeling. I will continue to work hard, try to focus on what I times do to be ready. "

Q: How are you coping with the off-court restrictions related to Covid-19?

A: "What we lack the most is the climate! A suitable climate, a little more reasonable playing conditions for a tournament on clay. At nine degrees, the body suffers a little. Otherwise, what is lacking the most, it's the happy atmosphere we all love, not only in tennis, in life in general. After that, everything that happens off the court has minimal impact on what happens on the court. . That I stay in another hotel, it is like that, it will not make me gain or lose the least point. That we cannot go out to dinner, it is like that. It is a moment which us lets get out of the usual tennis routine a bit, but you can't right now. "

Q: Novak Djokovic felt in Rome that you were more vulnerable on clay this year due to the lack of preparation and the conditions.

What do you think ?

A: "It's 100% true. The situation is special. The conditions are probably the most difficult I have ever experienced at Roland Garros for a lot of reasons. It's very cold. The playing conditions are slow. ball has changed, it's completely different. Very slow, heavy. When it's hot, it already is, so there, with the cold, it's like a stone, but you have to adapt to it. preparation was shorter than usual. But I'm here to fight and play with the highest intensity possible, to train with the right attitude, to give myself a chance. My first goal is to be competitive on Monday. I know this place very well. You have to be patient, positive, try to find good feelings day after day. I know that it will be a big challenge to play well here. But I did it in the past."

Q: How do you imagine adapting your game to the conditions?

A: "You can't swim against the tide, you have to deal with the conditions, not go against it. I can't change my game drastically overnight. I'm not going to say that I love the ball though. This is not the case. Do I like this ball? No. But I'm going to play with this ball, we are all going to play with this ball. Whoever has the ability to adapt is more likely to success, and I'm doing the best I can to give myself those chances. If I weren't here to try to meet the challenge to see it through, I wouldn't be here. are not ideal, it's true, my preparation could have been better, it's also true, but you have to know how to handle situations as they arise. That's what I try to repeat to myself and put into practice day after day. I'm not going to magnify the problems. On the contrary, I will try to minimize them with a positive attitude so that things go well. "

Interview at a press conference

© 2020 AFP