Rafael Nadal entered Interview Room 1 for his post-match press conference on Tuesday at the Australian Open and looked at his watch.
“I was checking how late I am,” he said with a smile. The Spaniard was only about 15 minutes behind, but explained, “In Mallorca, there is a thing, when we are going, we say, ‘I am coming’. [It’s] tough to be 100 per cent on time on an island. But we work [at it] a lot.”
Perhaps Nadal was delayed because he was still celebrating his first-round win at the Australian Open, beating Florian Mayer with ease in straight sets in just over two hours. There was little to stress about in the match, in which he won 70 per cent of his first serve points - But off of the court, how does the World No. 9 relax?
“I love the sea,” said Nadal. “I am from an island. It’s not just about fishing. It’s about going out with the boat, [being] in the middle of the sea. I love all these kind of things. I love to be a little bit away with the boat, to spend the night outside. It’s something unique. That makes me feel great.
“I relax. I love it. When you wake up in the morning, you go fishing; it’s another good experience. I love all the things that I can do on the ocean, on the sea.”
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While there are no fish to be found at the Australian Open, Nadal will take to the blue courts in Melbourne Park to face Macros Baghdatis in the second round.
