THE MODERATOR: Rafa, your thoughts on being back in New York.
RAFAEL NADAL: Hello, everyone.
First of all, yeah, happy to be back. Couple years without having the chance to be here since 2019. Of course, excited to play here. It's one of the most important places in my tennis career, without a doubt.
So just looking for every single practice to be better and better, just be competitive from the first round. So let's see.
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. I know you played in Cincinnati, but how is the abdominal injury that forced you to withdraw in Wimbledon?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, have been tough deal with tear in abdominal. Is a tough injury because it's dangerous, it's risky. When you have a scar, it's a place that you put lot of effort when you are serving.
You need to find flexibility again because when you have a scar there, beginning is not flexible, is very easy to understand. The risk of breaking when you are doing an important movement back there on a thing that is not flexible like before, the risk is higher.
I take it very easy in the Cincinnati, too, in the practices. The match, I try my best without putting all the effort there on the serve.
I fight until the end. I had my chances. Here I am practicing. I am doing things the best way that I can. I hope to be ready for the action, no? That's the only thing that I can say.
I have what I have. With the tools that I have today, I hope to be competitive enough to give myself a chance.
Q. Are you practicing with the same intensity that you would normally practice with a few days before a Grand Slam?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, taking care with the serve, being honest. But in general terms, yes, I am practicing at high level of intensity. I'm quite happy the way that I am playing.
Of course, we need to compete later. But is already two weeks on the tour, even if only one match professional, official. But practicing every day with the guys help me, without a doubt. I played sets every day for the last five days. That helps, of course.
Before Cincinnati I just played two sets there before the tournament start, so it's difficult. Even if I had my chance, the preparation have been not very long, but I gave myself a chance there. Was not possible. Let's try here again, no, with a better preparation. From my perspective, I am practicing quite well. Let's see what can happen, but I am happy with the practices.
Q. Do you have any reflections you'd like to share on Serena's career? Any predictions you might have for how she will perform?
RAFAEL NADAL: I spoke plenty of times about Serena, how important she was, or she is, for our sport. Huge ambassador that break records.
I think her as an athlete have been not just a tennis player, have been one of the most important athletes in the history of the sport.
So from the tennis perspective, it's a big loss that she is leaving. But on the other hand, she deserved all the things that she achieved because she worked enough to made that happen for such a long time, with a lot of determination, dedication, discipline. If not, all of this is impossible. So now is the moment that she deserve to choose whatever she wants to do.
Yeah, I just believe and hope that if she is able to stay around the sport in some way, going to be great for our sport because I always believe that the sports are bigger when the legends of our sport are around the sport, no? And she's a legend.
In some way I hope she will continue being involved in the world of tennis.
Q. Speaking of legends, right after the US Open you're going to head to London with Roger for Laver Cup. I'm wondering what your thoughts are on Roger coming back and this incredible team that you have composed, what your thoughts on playing Laver Cup?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, excited to play Laver Cup. Of course, super excited to see Roger again on court. I hope he's healthy enough to make that happen. Yeah, let's see. Have been a long period of time without Roger on court, so I really hope that she can manage to be back, no?
But let's see. I think what I said for Serena works the same way for Roger, no? The most important thing at this stage of his career is the health and the happiness, no? If he's healthy enough and happy enough to be back to the tennis tour, will be amazing. If not, we just can say thanks to him for everything that he achieved.
I am confident that we will keep having Roger for a while. Yeah, I can't wait to share team with him in the Laver Cup, no? Let's see how the things evolves. We have the US Open in front.
Q. Any chance you'd play doubles with him there again?
RAFAEL NADAL: In Laver?
Q. Yes.
RAFAEL NADAL: Why not? I don't know. If the Capitano choose us as teammates, why not (smiling)?
Q. When you look at the draw and you don't see Novak in it, for obvious reasons, what are your thoughts and reactions to him not being here, not being able to compete?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, in some way we know that Novak will not play for a while if nothing change in terms of the rules, no? We know that since months ago.
From my personal perspective, is very sad news. It's always a shame when the best players of the world are not able to play a tournament because of injuries or because of different reasons.
In this case, not having one of the best players of the history in the draw of Grand Slam is always an important miss, no?
As I said, tough for the fans, tough for the tournament. In my opinion, tough for the players, too, because we want to have the best field possible.
But in the other hand, I repeat what I said plenty of times: the sport in some ways is bigger than any player. I missed a lot of important events in my tennis career because of injuries, without a doubt. Last year I was not here. Two years ago I was not here. The tournament continues. The world of tennis keep going.
Even if is not a good news for everyone, the world continues and the tennis will continue after me, after Novak, after Roger. Every year will be for the slams champion. That's it.
Without a doubt, Novak is one of the most important players of the last 20 years, the history of our sport. In a personal way I feel sorry for him that he's not able to travel here.
Q. Can you talk a little bit about these last couple years, how difficult it's been to navigate through the pandemic, whether it's starting to feel more like normal, or there's still things you're having to navigate because of that?
RAFAEL NADAL: I think depends on the moment. Nothing is sure. Looks like the situation is more under control now than one year ago, without a doubt.
But I am not a doctor. I just follow the rules that the medical specialists says. In that case, from my perspective, I don't have the whole information. Looks like everything is much more under control than before. That's great news. We went through very, very tough moments. A lot of families lost family members. Very sad moments.
Looks like now is not happening as often as before, so that's the most important thing. The rest of the things, in my opinion, are, yeah, less important, without a doubt. Doesn't matter the world of tennis. The most important thing is families are safe enough and they are not losing family members because of pandemic, no?
Looks like is happening less than before, and that helps the world to have a happier world. Another tough stuff is going on around the world, without a doubt. But in that way it seems like the pandemic is evolving the proper way, but you never know what can happen.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports