Q. Your doubles experience with Novak only lasted one match. How did you find the Canadian pair that you played? And will you and Novak team up again in the future?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, well, it was very positive, no? I think play with Novak was a good experience. Sure, we would love to have the chance to win, but Canadians played very well, good serve, very good movements on the net. We had our chances, but they played better. But maybe in the future, yeah, why not? Why not we can play another time?
I don’t play a lot of doubles, that’s true, but I love to play doubles. I don’t play a lot because I had a few problems physically, physical problems in the past, no? But I love doubles and I love play doubles because I think is a very positive thing to improve your tennis.

RAFAEL NADAL: I know before the match going to be a very dangerous match against Wawrinka, so I was worry about the match before.

Q. Was that first set tiebreak as much fun for you as it was for us? Do you remember having a tiebreak like that at all?
RAFAEL NADAL: I played one here two years ago against Gasquet I think same, 14-12. I lost. So never is fun play tiebreaks like this because lots of pressure in every point, but if you win, gives you a lot of confidence. So always important win tiebreaks.

Q. Did you have any doubts throughout the tiebreaker at all?
RAFAEL NADAL: Doubts?

Q. Through the difficult parts, yeah.
RAFAEL NADAL: In every point. (Laughter.)

RAFAEL NADAL: Sure, it’s very important to start with victory, no? First thing, is important tournament. Second thing, you wait another week to play another match, and for me, the important thing is keep playing matches. That’s very good victory against big opponent.

Q. Obviously his serve is the biggest weapon, and in the beginning you seemed to have a lot of trouble with it, but after about two and a half games you were able to break him. What kind of adjustments did you make?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I started to return the second serve inside the court. In the beginning, I was returning three meters behind the baseline. After, I returned the second serve on the line. So, yes, this was important point, but after that first set wasn't easy to return the second serve inside, too, you know, because he change it a lot, the directions and the yeah, he serve it with slice, he serve it with topspin, so wasn't easy, no?
Anyway, seemed like I had the match under control in the second, 4 2, but I had two mistakes with my forehand, and he played two good points. And after that, yeah, was really tough second set, no? But I am very happy how I played, especially the first set. It was very good.

Q. Over and over again, you continue in the big moments to bring the best tennis. What is the secret formula? What do you do out there?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. (Smiling.)
I don't know, no? I just think point by point, and I think I am exactly the same nervous like everybody, and, you know, some moments you play better; some moments you play worse, no? I never played well these all important moments, no? When you are playing well and when you are with confidence in these moments, the things you are ready to play your best tennis. When you are without confidence without winning matches, you have more problems at these moments no? It happened to me last year the second part of the year, last six months of 2009.
So, you know, I never played well in important moments, but now I am playing much better, and for that reason I can play well better important moments.

Q. You have always tough battles with Kohlschreiber on hardcourt. Is there any specific reason?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, first of all, every match is tough, no? And second thing, he’s a good player. I think today I started terrible in the beginning, but anyway, always he’s difficult to beat, no? So it is a good victory for me, especially because I finished the match playing better in the third. Sure, being in the semifinals is very good news for me, no, for me the very first tournament on hard after one month and a half without competition. So I happy to be in semifinal and now I want to enjoy the match tomorrow and gonna be difficult. Well, I hope be ready to play my best tennis and try to have chances.

Q. Tied at 3 in the first set you had a couple of chances to break his serve, and he kind of took over from there. Why was he so hard to put away at some points today?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, well, playing against Andy always is a challenge. Is very difficult player in every surface, I told you yesterday. Here a little bit more than the rest, in my opinion, no? But anyway, I had the chance 3 all, 15-40, and he made double fault. The referee was watching another court, but was double fault. (Laughter.)
But sure is not an excuse, is only a point and the match is a lot of points, no?
Anyway, sure, was important point, but after that he played better than me. My serve didn’t work well. My serve was the worst thing in my game, I think, today for sure, and to play and to win Andy, I had to serve much better than what I did today. My serve was very bad today.

Q. Talking about your serve, before the game started, you took a few more minutes to practice your serve. Were you feeling that that was going to be a problem?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. Well, I didn’t have the big chance to practice with the serve, because I have go slowly. Last year I started in Montreal after important stop, similar what I had this year, and I started hard with the serve and I broke my abdominal, no?
So I prefer to don’t practice too much the serve during the week, because I feel this part of the body, the abdominals, a little bit more challenged than usual, and the most important thing is be healthy physically, no?
And I am perfect conditions physically, so the serve I gonna have now Monday and Tuesday to keep practicing hard with the serve and a little bit more with the backhand.
And the rest of the game I think is in the right way, is normal. I am a little bit more slow than usual, but I think is normal the first week after a stop, and I am a little bit more tighter than usual too when I play long points.
But I not worried about this, no? But about the serve, sure, I have to keep improving my serve, but that’s another thing at the same time. Right now I have to serve like I usually serve, no? Not like I did today.

Q. Some of the points were fantastic today, the standard of tennis, as usual between you and Andy, very, very high. Do you think that’s the best he’s played against you?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. I don’t know. I don’t know. Every match is different, but he’s great player. Always, between good players, always have good points, no?
Andy, is normal have great points against him because his movements are great from the baseline, is fantastic, his movements, and he has unbelievable hands to return the ball, no?
That’s one of the best things on his game. And his serve was very good today, no?
Andy, I think he played well, sure, but he can do it better, too. So I think he played at his good level but not perfect.

Q. Overall, how do you compare yourself to how you feel now versus a year ago? A year ago was very different from your point of view. How does it feel a year on after everything that’s happened?
RAFAEL NADAL: I never like the comparisons, even when I lose or even when I win. The feeling is different, but I can talk about my feeling right now, not one year ago.
Right now the feeling is good, because I won I think 34 of my 36 matches, so that’s a very good record for me. Very happy how I played all the year, and sure, this tournament wasn’t the bad start for the hardcourt season, no? I had the semifinals here, playing a few good matches and having chances to be in the final. I lost 6-3, 6-4, but I had 15-40 with 4-3 in the second and two second serves for Andy.
In the first, I told you before, I was a break for me. Finally wasn’t the break. So I was there. I wasn’t very far the right way to win, but remain a little bit more to really have to produce more chances to win, no?