Q. So, Sunday, Federer versus Nadal, No. 1 versus No. 2, very big match. In fact, is it a bigger match for you than it was last year at this time? >

RAFAEL NADAL: No, I'm very happy for stay in this final. I know you speak a lot about this match before the tournament. I always say when he wins sixth match before, so now we win this match, no? Now we play this final.

Sure, is a nice match. Is No. 1 and No. 2, so that's nice. And I don't know, no, I gonna try my best.

Q. Are you surprised, or you was waiting for this moment? I mean, you won six match, but you was quite sure you won this match and you was quite sure that Federer won this match or not? >

RAFAEL NADAL: Repeat.

Q. Are you surprised about you play this final against Federer?

RAFAEL NADAL: I know if I arrive to the final, I have good chances for play against him, no? So is not surprise for play against him.

But, sure, the normal is not play this final. 128 ‑‑ 126 players want to play this final. Every tournament is tough. Now we are in the final, so I am very happy for that. But I know is very tough and very difficult, no?

How much time ago with ‑‑ I don't know?

Q. '84.

RAFAEL NADAL: '84 against the No. 1 and No. 2, so is tough.

Q. What was on your mind when you were down 5‑3 in the tiebreak?

RAFAEL NADAL: I was thinking I have it very tough because he don't lose any point in the tiebreak with his serve. And in the game, the last games, too, because he was serving unbelievable in the third set, no? He was serving very good first and second. And after he had a good shot, he play a good shot with a forehand or backhand and go to the net. So was very difficult, no? He had a very good percentage inside.

Q. Did you feel the pressure at the time?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I'm in the semifinals of Roland Garros. So, sure, I feel the pressure, no?

Q. Overall, in the tiebreak you hit three aces. You must be very pleased by that?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I'm happy, no, I played very (speaking Spanish.)

Q. You were brave or you risked.

RAFAEL NADAL: I risk (laughter)? I risk a lot with myself because I had three aces in the tiebreak. So that's not normal, no, especially if you lose my serve.

So I am very happy. I play first point, and after two important points, outside in the deuce. So I play very with a lot of risk, and this time I can convert.

Q. We are all very excited about this coming final. I mean, Paris is excited and the tennis world in general is excited. Do you think we might encounter a level of tennis in this final that can make people's even interest to tennis come back in the real sense, in the worldly sense, after the loss of the interest to tennis in general over the past years? We have reached a level of final that became very exciting.

RAFAEL NADAL: (Through translation.) I didn't understand anything.

Q. Are you, yourself, as a player, excited about the level of tennis we might encounter in the final?

RAFAEL NADAL: I am excited 'cause I play the final of Roland Garros, sure. Is same thing if you play No. 1 against No. 2, so that's nice. But maybe the final of Grand Slam always is exciting, no? For me, always is a big match.

Q. Roger is such a fantastic player. What has been the key to your success against Roger?

RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. I don't know, no? I only play my hundred percent. I need play very good match if I want to win. I need play my best for try the victory. If I don't play my best, I gonna lose, sure.

Q. Does it help you that you are left‑handed? Is that an advantage for you, do you think?

RAFAEL NADAL: Always is the same. Always the same question: Is advantage or disadvantage to play with the left‑handed?

I don't know. For me, is not a special advantage and not disadvantage. For me is the same because I ‑‑ because always you had the forehand against his backhand. Yes, but he had the same, forehand against my backhand.

Q. How realistic is it to expect you to play well on grass after the French Open?

RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know, no? I have the mind in this final. But, sure I want to play good on grass. Like I love to play on this surface. I enjoy a lot. But I need improve a little bit for enjoy more, no?

Q. You think you can have a good run at Wimbledon?

RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know, no? I don't know. I need improve my tennis for play good there. But my special goal is in two, three, four years have a chance for have a good result in Wimbledon, no.

Q. In English, I know we are Spanish, but it's okay, just to practice, you know. One of the characteristics of the great champions of tennis is to serve well when they need it. You do it. You can do that in Deco Turf, Rebound Ace, also grass. What's your opinion?

RAFAEL NADAL: (Smiling). Yes. Is a characteristic of the big servers.

Q. Of the big champions of tennis.

RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know if the characteristic of the big champions play good and serve good in the difficult moments. The characteristic of the big champions is play good in the difficult moments, with the serve, with the backhand, with the forehand, with the drop, with the lob, anything, no? But play good in difficult moments.

Q. You're a young guy. Young guys tend to like to go out, hit the ball, beat people, get the titles. Do you have any awareness or feeling about the historical importance of a rivalry like this? What is your opinion about that?

RAFAEL NADAL: No, I don't know, no? Maybe we have different age. That's important thing. He had five more than me?

(Through translation.) Is he going to be 25 or is he going to be 24?

RAFAEL NADAL: (Back into English.) That's not the same age. I know I'm one more, one less. But, sure is nice, no, for me very nice stay No. 2, no? So is nice play ‑‑ now we gonna have the fourth final in the year, so that's good for the tennis maybe. I don't know if is a big rivality (sic), but I enjoy play these big matches, no?

Q. Are you familiar with Ali‑Fraser?

RAFAEL NADAL: Maybe I wasn't born, no?

Q. You played more hours than Federer. Could it be a problem on Sunday?

RAFAEL NADAL: Maybe not. I can have problem with his game, but for that because I played the two ‑‑ the last two matches is the slowest, no? Not slowest; the shortest. The shorter, no, so I have the last days I can improve in my physical performance, so for Sunday I gonna try my best. And if I am not at my hundred percent, I gonna be my hundred percent. I gonna try my best.

Q. Do you think it was fair for the umpire to give you a warning for slow play?

RAFAEL NADAL: Can you repeat, please?

Q. The warning the umpire gave you in the first set for slow play, did you think that was fair?

RAFAEL NADAL: I always play the same. Today is the day of I go faster, but today the umpire say I don't know. But every time ‑‑ he put me pression all the time. I go fast today. I don't...

(Through translation.) I'll explain that later in Spanish.

RAFAEL NADAL: (Back into English.) I go fast. The umpire put me a lot of pression all the time, no? But I always have the same time, not today more than yesterday and yesterday than until 15 years, 13 years, I play the same, no?

Q. What do you most admire about Roger Federer? >

RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. Maybe he's a normal guy. He's one of the best of the history. He's a superstar of the world ‑ not just in tennis, in all sports. He's a normal guy. He's a nice guy. I have a good relation with him. He's a good guy. I admire his humble, no?

Q. After Rome he said a couple of things about Toni and coaching. Have you and he discussed that at all? Have you and he spoken about that?

RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know, no? I don't know if he speaking with Toni, but maybe not. But Rome is Rome, Paris is Paris, and we can forgot, no?

Q. Bjorn Borg started as a clay court player, then he went on to win five times Wimbledon. Nobody was expecting that from him in those years. Do you think your game can also switch to grass, and can you also, you think, become a consistent Wimbledon player?

RAFAEL NADAL: I don't gonna win five Wimbledon for sure. But I gonna try my best for have a good result in Wimbledon, no? I want to play good. I want to improve. And also, for instance, I am very young, just some days ago. So I am young, I can improve, no? I want to play good there because I want to have chance in all the Grand Slams, no? So that is a very important Grand Slam. And anyway, I want to have any chance for win, no?

Q. Obviously, Ljubicic is not a big fan of you because he said he would love that Federer beat you on Sunday. >

RAFAEL NADAL: Okay. Is okay. I don't have any problem.

THE MODERATOR: Spanish questions, please.

Q. Rafael, you're here in the final. This is relief for you, or isn't it?

RAFAEL NADAL: No, it's not relief. I'm very happy. You know, this is the final of Roland Garros. I hope it's not going to become compulsory for me to play every year the final here.

No, it's not relief. I'm happy that everything's going well and that it's been a very good season on clay for me. If I win one more match, then I'll beat an absolute record on clay that cannot be improved upon.

So, no, it's not relief. I don't feel relief. It's difficult to be in a final such as the final of Roland Garros. But, no, it's not relief. I just feel happy about it.

Q. Ljubicic said that it's ridiculous the amount of time you take in between points and that the umpire only warned you once because he had to do something. But then he let you do that, and he would love Federer to win and that everybody wants Federer to win.

RAFAEL NADAL: Is that what he said, that everybody wants Federer to win? Well, great. Great. That's not a problem, you know. Everybody is free to say whatever they want. They'll make friends in the course.

No, I know that everybody does not want Federer to win. I know that. You've got to learn to control yourself when you lose a match, not after you lose a match you can just go about saying anything. I get on well with Ljubicic. I don't want to lose that good relationship with him. I don't think that will be the case.

Now I think that we'll have to put pressure on the umpires so that he puts pressure on me if there's a problem with time. The umpire maybe didn't manage the situation properly, because I was going much faster than the other days. Carlos Costa said, "C'mon, Rafa," when his coach was also calling.

I don't know, you know. Each person does what they want. I realize that there are a lot of people who want me to win, and I'm very relaxed and I'm playing well. I've been on the circuit for many years, probably more than him, and I've never had any problems with anybody. I've always behaved properly. So I'll go on behaving the way I behave, and I'm very happy the way I relate to other people. I also get on very well with all the umpires, so maybe, I don't know, he just had something against me this one.

I'm just relaxed, just as relaxed as I've always been. That sort of statement doesn't really affect me. I have never spoken badly about him. I thought he was a nice guy, and so all I'm saying is that, you know, when you lose, you've got to control yourself and not just go on to say anything. That's what I try to do when I lose, you know, just keep under control.

Q. You jumped up and down when you won that match just like you did last year. I don't know if you'd like to comment on that.

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, yes, it's the fourth final we're going to play this year, and I'm very, very happy about it. Ljubicic was a complicated match because he's a good player, and he was serving very well. It was difficult to win the points.

At the end, when I won that last point, the matchpoint, well, yeah, I was really delighted. I was very, very happy.

Q. How are you going to play the final if you want to win?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I'm gonna have to think about that one and we'll see. We'll see. I've got to think. I've got to play my own game. I've got to play maybe a little bit more aggressively.

Q. You've played Ljubicic. Was that useful to fine‑tune your shots and to prepare for the match with Federer?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I'm very happy. It's the match that I've played in a more serious way. It's been a serious match, especially with my service. I've never lost my concentration, and he was serving well. He was also putting pressure when I was serving, but I reacted well.

The third set, I had a good backhand. I've improved my game and, yeah, I think I'm at a very good level.

Q. If you analyze the tournament, from the beginning until now, do you have the feeling that there's a major difference between you two and the rest of the players on clay?

RAFAEL NADAL: No, I don't think there's a major difference. I think things happen and the people who deserve to win, win.

I don't think there's that much difference. I'd say the same thing that I said before I started the tournament. You can win matches, you can lose them, it's the same thing, and each tournament is different. I don't think there's that much difference between me, Federer and all the players.

Q. Americans talk about your rivalry like Ali‑Fraser. Do you know about that?

RAFAEL NADAL: No. What year was it?

Q. '70.

RAFAEL NADAL: No, I wasn't even born.

Q. You never watched them?

RAFAEL NADAL: No, I watched videos of Muhammad Ali, but it's a long time ago.

Q. Do you still play with your PlayStation? I've seen this is something that you do.

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I play from time to time, you know. When I've got a bit of free time in my hotel room, I play, yeah, my PlayStation.

I can see that some players drop out, so you've got to end up playing on your own. It's a bit complicated.

Q. There's quite a bit of tension. Manacor is getting ready. There's a giant screen in the football stadium and racing course. That maybe is the other side of Roland Garros. Your people, in your hometown.

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, they're really happy. It's great that all that is happening, that people are watching me play, that they take an interest. That's great. I'm really very grateful for all that interest.

Also in the whole of Spain, because every time I go somewhere in Spain, people support me, and I'm really grateful to all countries, really, because everybody treats me really well, but especially Spain. There's a lot of emotion when I travel anywhere in Spain. It's very nice.

That's why, you know, when Ljubicic loses and said what he said, well, that doesn't bother me because I'm relaxed, I know that things are fine, and it's not because Ljubicic says that that, you know, it's necessarily true.

Q. If you don't have rivals to play PlayStation with, maybe you can ask Federer to play with you?

RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know whether I will go that far (smiling).

But, nah, I don't think so. I don't think he can beat me in the PlayStation. I don't think he trains enough for that.