(Well, they certainly look trust-worthy.)

Depending on which one you talk to, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are either embroiled in a battle for the year ending No. 1 (Federer) or just in London to have some fun (Nadal). Fibs or frankness? You decide.

Here’s Federer talking to reporters during the World Tour Finals Media Day on Wednesday (via the AFP):

“I am aware of it (the race to finish world number one) and I would be lying if I said I was just here to play well.”

“Definitely I am here to win the tournament and to try to stay number one in the world. It is obvious.”

“The competition is really stiff so it is not going to be easy for me or Rafa if he wants to get it.”

But Rafael Nadal says he’s actually not too interested in the whole “battle for the year end No. 1” thing. (via AFP)

“For me the main thing is to be here and enjoy this experience,” Nadal told reporters. “Playing the tournament in London will be amazing.”

“The rest, finishing number one doesn’t matter. My only goal is to try to play my best tennis here in London.”

“If I win the tournament it doesn’t matter if I am number ten. The ranking is important yes, but not the most important thing for me.”

“For the last five years I was two and one in the rankings, so I have had this experience for a long time.”

“If I am competitive to try to win then I am more than happy. If I win this tournament it doesn’t matter if I am one, two or three.”

Click here to see how the No. 1 ranking may shake out in London.

On a side note, Federer also told Reuters that he’s “looking forward” to playing Andy Murray this week – and improving his 3-6 record against the Scot to, say, 5-6:

“I hope so,” the 28-year-old replied when asked about the prospect of playing Murray in the round-robin and then again in the final. “If I beat him twice, that means I’m in the finals, he’s in the finals and everybody is happy. Right?”

Well maybe not everybody, Rog. But I like the way you think.

Action beings on Sunday at the O2 arena: Andy Murray plays Juan Martin del Potro and Roger Federer plays Fernando Verdasco.  Rafael Nadal begins his bid for year-ending No. 1 – or not, whatever – on Monday when he plays Robin Soderling. It’s Djokovic vs. Davydenko on Monday evening.

Click here for the ATP World Finals website. Click here for the U.S. TV schedule and here for tennis live streaming options.

Yes! The ATP World Tour Finals can’t start before the requisite Men in Suits photo session. Along with the British press, another overlooked benefit of hosting the ATP World Tour Finals in London is seeing Federer, Nadal and the rest of the top guys in bespoke tailoring (at least I’ll pretend it is.) Here are some photos from Class Picture Day – I mean ATP World Tour Media Day at the County Hall Marriot Hotel.

These school assemblies are always so boring. . .

AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth via Daylife

Really, how lucky are we to have three ATP Top Models in the final 8?  Federer, Djokovic and Verdasco are obviously engaged in a heated pose-off in the photo below. While I love Roger’s masculine bearing, Nole takes it with his casual Gene Kelly elegance. Verdasco gets points for coaching del Po and Soderling has an honorable mention for his Swedish Sears catalogue look. Davydenko is obviously in character for the starving P.O.W. role he’s playing next week in the West End.

How the heck did Andy Murray get Dr. Ivo’s pants?

Who will be head of the class?

Nice trophy, right? It was made in England by expert silversmiths. You can check out the video on the ATP website.

Some year book photos:

Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images via Daylife

Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images via Daylife

Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images via Daylife

Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images via Daylife

AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth via Daylife

Candids! This one’s begging for a caption:

And thanks to “Tem” for passing along the Bryan Bro’s snapshot:

I’m a little concerned about Rafa’s hair:

I think Roger is, too:

Yes, Roger is deep in thought about it.

CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images via Daylife

CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images via Daylife

Rafa’s like “awkward!”

CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images via Daylife

What ho! Is that Halley’s Comet or ATP CEO Adam Helfant? The players record this momentous occasion:

Andy Murray and the Bryan Brothers took part in the draw ceremony for the ATP World Tour Finals on Wednesday in a pod of the London Eye Ferris wheel. Here are the round robin groups for the singles and doubles competitions, which run from November 22 – 29:

2009 ATP World Tour Finals Singles Draw:

Group A
Roger Federer
Andy Murray
Juan Martin del Potro
Fernando Verdasco

Group B
Rafael Nadal
Novak Djokovic
Nikolay Davydenko
Robin Soderling

Group A: Based on head-to-heads, Murray rules Group A. He holds a winning record over everyone else, for a combined win-loss tally of 17-5.  Roger has a 12-7 win-loss record over Group A, with 6 of those 7 losses coming to Andy Murray. All the players in this group have struggled with injury since the US Open, with Murray winning the group’s only title a couple weeks ago in Valencia. Based on the head-to-heads, recent form, and home-crowd advantage, Murray’s a shoe-in for the semis. And Roger Federer (apart from being Roger Federer) has the extra motivation of playing for the year-end No. 1. Group A matches up badly for Verdasco and del Potro is likely too gimpy to get through. But you never know – the tournament can’t be called the WTF for nothin’.

Your predictions:

Group B: This is where the Mojo’s at! Based on their form, Nole and Kolya (the 2008 WTF finalists) are the guys to beat – not only in the Group but in the entire tournament. Nole, the defending champ, has been on a tear this fall, winning 3 titles: over Cilic in Beijing, Roger Federer in Basel and Gael Monfils in Paris (where he also took out Rafael Nadal in straights in the semis.) His only loss in the past months has been to Nikolay Davydenko in the semis of the Shanghai Masters. Kolya went on to win the title, beating Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the finals. Speaking of Rafa – he’s lost to all of the Group B players in their most recent meetings. The most painful loss was to Robin Soderling in the round of 16 at the French. Besides the possibility of retaking the no. 1 ranking from Roger, revenge may be the major motivator as the Spaniard progresses through Group B.

Your predictions:

2009 ATP World Tour Finals Doubles Draw – Nestor and Zimonjic and the Bryan Bros are battling for the year-end No. 1 ranking.

Group A
Daniel Nestor – Nenad Zimonjic
Mahesh Bhupathi – Mark Knowles
Frantisek Cermak – Michal Mertinak
Mariusz Fyrstenberg – Marcin Matkowski

Group B
Bob Bryan – Mike Bryan
Lukas Dlouhy – Leander Paes
Lukasz Kubot – Oliver Marach
Max Mirnyi – Andy Ram

Rafael Nadal is still within striking distance of the year end No. 1 ranking (an honor that’s confusingly named the “2009 ATP World Tour Champion”), depending on how both he and Roger Federer perform at the World Tour Finals next week in London. The ATP provides Rafa’s plan of attack for the potential Battle for the Year End No. 1s:

Here are the key scenarios in the battle for the 2009 ATP World Tour Champion title:

1. If Nadal is an undefeated champion at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals (winning all-three round-robin matches, a semi-final and final) he will earn the maximum 1,500 points. If that happens, Federer would need to either win all three round-robin matches OR reach the final to beat out Nadal for the 2009 ATP World Tour Champion title.

2. If Nadal goes 2-1 in round-robin play and wins the title he will earn 1,300 points. If that happens, Federer would need to either win two round-robin matches OR win one round-robin match and reach the final to beat out Nadal for the 2009 ATP World Tour Champion title.

3. If Nadal goes 3-0 in round-robin play, wins his semi-final but loses the final he will earn 1,000 points. If that happens, Federer would need only to win one round-robin match to beat out Nadal for the 2009 ATP World Tour Champion title.

Working against Nadal’s chances are the respective Barclays ATP World Tour Finals records of both players. Federer boasts one of the greatest records at the season finale with a 27-5 match record, including four titles from five straight finals between 2003-07. Nadal, however, is yet to play his best tennis at the event. In two appearances in 2006-07 he went 2-1 in round-robin play but fell in the semi-finals.

Question for you rankings nerds out there – aren’t there ATP points given for Davis Cup play, too? Would that have an effect and/or is the Year Ending No. 1 awarded before the Davis Cup final?

An in-depth interview with Rafael Nadal came out this weekend in La Vanguardia’s Sunday magazine. If you thought the recent London Times Q&A with Roger Federer was deep, this takes the conversational ball way beyond the baseline. Rafa covers it all: war, poverty, religion, Xisca, his physical limitations and Fed’s slacker magic.

This is my google-assisted translation so please don’t take it as Gospel (Rafa doesn’t put too much stock in sacred texts, anyway.) I’ve left out a few sentences here and there that I just can’t figure out. Click here for the original interview by Dagoberto Escorcia. And feel free as always to give your own take in the comments section.

At 23, Rafael Nadal shows a very high degree of maturity. The tennis star is ready to talk about almost everything, from injuries this season, his successes and his setbacks, but also subjects like life, war, poverty, his ideal world. Nadal seems psyched to tackle the difficulties that gather on the horizon, with increasingly strong rivals and the thinking that he can “be better without winning as much as before.”

While waiting for the Davis Cup final, how would you evaluate the season with these two distinct parts marked by injuries?
If I had not suffered an injury, the season would classify as excellent. I won a Grand Slam (Australia), three Masters Series, two finals in two Masters, a final in Rotterdam and Godó (Barcelona), I think it is very good. I do not know how many people have won five titles this season, but winning all the tournaments has been important. For me it is a positive, remarkable year. I thought that was well under way, but it’s a shame because at the end of the season I’ve had to play without being a hundred percent. I tried to go to Wimbledon, but my knee hurt too much and I had no choice. I had to stop two months and when I returned I was a little afraid, I lost the rhythm of the competition and all that eventually effects you. But I’m back, and the results have been better than expected. The trouble is that I tore my abdomen, and had another break that broke me. I got to the quarterfinals in Cincinnati, won games playing at a good level, but in the U.S. Open held for a match and a half without getting hurt, then pain was over. When I finished the U.S. Open, there was a two centimeter tear. (Sorry, the translation is rough here – basically Nadal’s saying the abdominal injury had a major effect on his play around the time of the US Open.)

But that has been constant. You have always been winning in pain, perhaps asking your body for more than it could give.
All elite athletes have played with pain or grief. But when the pain becomes limiting it hurts you in everything, in movement, running, and when you play at a very high level, it is almost impossible for you to aspire to the fullest.

That happens a lot with the motorbike riders who are accustomed to racing with pain.
The superhuman efforts that one asks of the body are almost always connected to the calendar, which is in charge, but it is clear that playing hurt is not positive. In bike racing you do the training, the race lasts 20-25 laps, and you get one or two weeks to rest. In tennis, first, you run for every ball, and second, you do not know how long the game will last: one hour, three or five. If you win, the next day you return to play. You can go one day after another with this mentally for a while, but ultimately it’s impossible. Pain limits you. There are others who can endure it. Still, the results since my return have been very good.

What does pressure mean to you? Who puts pressure on a player like you?
As it relates to media, it means very little to me. The pressure I endure is more personal. . . I’m taking it easy and know that it is very hard to do everything I’ve done in the past five years, I’ve had very good results, better than we had imagined. From this base, everything is taken more calmly. If my career ended today, the evaluation is that it was very good. Then comes the aspect of motivation of wanting to improve yourself, wanting to be the best. All that is pressure. I want to play well every time I go to the court, I want to win, but if I lose the final in Shanghai, I’m not sad. I’m happy with my level and realize that you can not always win, especially if the rival is better than you. Matches like the one I lost in Beijing again Marin Cilic, in contrast, left a bad taste because he was playing well and that day I did very badly. (He then uses the f-word to describe his 1-6, 3-6 semifinal loss to Cilic, but I can’t figure it out well enough to translate.)

How do you get confidence? Only through victory?
It gives me confidence to have trained well, and the other key, of course, is winning. When you’re on a winning streak, you take to the court feeling that you can’t lose.

This year, you only lost ten times. How painful is defeat?
There are painful defeats, of course. The end of Roland Garros this year was painful.

Anyway, you are a happy man that life has smiled upon.
Of course I have a lucky life, I have no doubt. Working in what I like, in one of my hobbies, that is playing tennis and more nowadays. Also, I’m outstanding in the sport. I’m number two in the world and have been for the past five years. I have also been number one. I have a close family, I have no problems at all. I have my group of life-long friends, a positive environment and health in general for myself and the people around me. Athletically speaking, I have been lucky.

Does Nadal get angry?
Yes, it’s normal, like everyone else. I’m not a Quemao (tidal wave?), I’ve always had enough self-control in everything. I’m not a guy who gets angry and screams, no.

Do you remember the last time you cried?
Yes, I’ve cried many times, but the count is irrelevant now. Everybody cries.

In a tournament, like Federer?
I’ve also cried about losing, but not on the court. When I lost Wimbledon in 2007 I cried, but in the locker room. I do not like to do it in front of people.

What would your ideal world be?
I do not think that an ideal world is possible. We can hope for a much better world than we live in, not for me, I am lucky that I have almost the ideal life, but for many other people.

Do you have an idea of what would change?
Always we speak of the poverty, but, for example, I have been in India, in Chennai, several times, and I can assure you that inside the poverty I see happiness in the faces of the people. And that we should apply to all of us. There, where people have practically nothing and live in the street, you see the faces and they do not deceive you. Here, many people have practically everything and tomorrow you can see them going to work and their faces do not reflect happiness. . . Here we do not value what we have; I’m like this, too.

A globetrotter like you, what’s impacted you the most?
I have seen many things, but it really is difficult to judge certain things in certain countries, especially since I’m usually in a more favorable environment. It’s difficult to experience a country like its citizens. Undoubtedly, what has struck me most was the Twin Towers. I was playing a match at exactly the same time in Madrid, trying to get my first ATP point and I wasted 13 match points before losing the match. I went right away to see it live on TV. Six months earlier I had been up there on vacation with my family. The following year I went to see Ground Zero. The image of the plane and when the towers fall still makes me squirm.

Are you afraid of something?
I think fear is part of life. I’m afraid.

Who is the tennis player you most admire?
The best ever I’ve seen is Roger Federer. The main thing is the talent that he has to do things. I’ve seen him train many times and few times have I seen him train with the intensity which I have done all my life. In fact, never. That impresses me. A player like him has worked hard since childhood, but you see him train and not pay much attention. He has a facility that allows inspiration to come to him with little concentration, and he catches the feeling immediately, and makes extremely difficult things become very easy.

Do you envy that power?
I do not want it to get confused: I have no envy whatsoever. Of course, I would like to win what he has won. Each person has what they have, and I am very happy with what I have won so far. The truth is that he has some innate, special qualities.

Does Rafael Nadal have a limit?
I don’t think one can know. The daily limit is attempting to do everything possible to improve. Going to the limit is going to train every day with enthusiasm, because you’re not only thinking about winning but about wanting to improve, play better. The courts can not rest because every day there is competition. I’m limited by that framework. Winning or losing sometimes does not mean much, one can be a better player without winning as much as before. It is a matter of mentality, to maintain the freshness to win.

How much has your girlfriend helped to maintain motivation, to keep growing?
I don’t believe she has at all. In continuing to grow as an athlete you can not have help from anyone, no family, no coach, nobody. It is you who must continue to have the motivation, enthusiasm and the belief that you make the effort to remain the best.

Do you still retain all that?
The day I do not, I will turn to other things. Of course I still have it.

The Spanish team returns to play the Davis Cup final, this time with you.
Davis Cup is the main goal I have left this year, which is closer to our grasp. Last year I couldn’t play, and I was annoyed. Playing at the Palau Sant Jordi, where I was the flag carrier in 2000 (when Spain won the Davis Cup vs. Australia) and to live through it now as a player and not as a spectator will be a beautiful experience.

Here’s the 14 year-old Rafa doing his duty:

What does it mean to own a replica of the real Trofeo Conde de Godo? (Barcelona club trophy)
Everything I have achieved in the last five years is special. Winning in Barcelona five times is unthinkable. You have to win so many matches, to maintain a high concentration, not being injured, and feel well every day. Winning at a club is different from in the big stadiums because it retains the essence of tennis. Furthermore, it is my club where I feel at home. I always have a unique feeling. The first time was a dream, winning five times, unimaginable. The trophy will be in a special place in my house.

Here’s Rafa and his take-home Godo cup:

Roger this! Paul Kimmage of The Times, U.K. did a fantastic interview with Roger Federer at last week’s Basel tournament. Click here to read the entire piece, which was published this weekend. Here are some of the highlights.

The theme of the interview is Roger’s positive attitude and the way he uses this cheerful way of thinking to stay on top of the tennis world.  To underline how unique Federer’s mentality is for a tennis Champion, the piece begins by stating what Federer is not:

How did Roger Federer become the greatest? He was not born in Sweden (Bjorn Borg). He was not shaped by a dominant parent (Ivan Lendl). He is not fuelled by rage (Jimmy Connors) or tortured by demons (John McEnroe). He has never had sex in Nobu (Boris Becker), smoked crystal meth (Andre Agassi) or been afflicted with odd sleeping habits (Pete Sampras). He is as affable as Tim Henman. . . He did not marry a supermodel (Roddick). He does not make fun of his rivals (Novak Djokovic) or pick continually at the crack in his backside (Nadal). He has worse fashion sense than Andy Murray. How does he explain it?

Now wait just a second, here, Mr. Kimmage! Roger Federer’s fashion sense – with the exception of a certain figure skating outfit – is infinitely better than Andy Murray’s! But I’ll use Roger as my inspiration and refrain from going negative.

Here’s Roger explaining how his sunny disposition keeps him motivated:

“I’m a positive person, a very positive thinker. That’s why I like the more positive approach of ‘I love winning’, because to hate losing, to me, is a bit negative. I guess my love for the sport started as a little boy watching Becker and Edberg facing off in the Wimbledon final. I dreamed about it but I never thought it would happen to me. It’s so difficult to keep winning and to keep your love for the game because of all the travelling and the sacrifices, but I just said, ‘I’m not going to let that happen to me. I’m going to take a positive approach that travelling is great and that I’m going to see different cultures and places I would never see if I wasn’t a tennis player’. My wife loves it. I love it, so ‘let’s have a good time because it’s not going to last until I am 70’. And so far that approach has worked for me.”

This positive attitude leads to friendly relations with even his fiercest rival, Rafael Nadal:

“I’m surprised myself by the degree to which we (he and Nadal) actually get along because we’ve had a very intense rivalry and you could say he has hurt my career and that I’ve hurt his career, but we’ve actually helped each other become the players we are today. And the rivalry has helped the game. It’s nice that the two greatest players in tennis, or in a sport, actually get along well, because normally there is all this hate and it’s so negative, and I don’t like that. We’ve had enough controversy in recent years with athletes and it’s a welcome change.”

But what about after the Australian Open, when Roger stood on the podium and said losing to Nadal was “killing” him?

“The thing that was killing me was having to talk while crying. What I meant was, ‘I wish I could stop crying and could talk normally and give Rafa the stage he deserves and not make everybody feel so bad’. This was upsetting me more than having lost the match. The last thing I wanted was for people to feel bad for me. I played a great tournament. I was happy with the way I played. I wish I would have won, but I had to accept, and accepted without a problem, that Rafa was better on that day. So it was [misinterpreted].”

What it felt like to claim his GOAT status later in the year:

“It’s a big relief, especially getting first [the win in] Paris and then the 15 [Grand Slam titles] at Wimbledon within a month. I was shell-shocked that it happened so quickly. To go from being criticised [at the Australian Open] for not being the same anymore to being called the greatest ever was a very fast turn.”

On Mirka’s positive influence:

“It goes way beyond what I thought as a teenager that marriage would be. And the babies . . . phew [exhales], that just gives a different dimension to life. To see the fire in the eyes of my wife, waking up 15 times a night if she has to . . . to see that and knowing what she would do for me, knowing what she would do for them, is very emotional.“

The piece ends with some great news for Fed fans:

“You can definitely play your greatest tennis until 32 or 33, it’s just a matter of how you look at it. . .Many people were asking me, ‘When are you going to retire?’ And I said, ‘Well, I’m definitely going to play until the 2012 Olympics’, but that was to shut them up, really. It depends how fit you are, but I would like to play beyond that, and Mirka has said that she would like our two daughters to see me play. So they need to grow a little bit and I need to play a little bit, but we’ll see where it takes us.”

Roger’s next chance to win comes at the season-ending World Tour Finals, which run from November 22-29 in London. I hope he finishes the year smiling!

Whenever I get excited for quarterfinals day, the matches never live up to my expectations. Friday at the Paris Masters was no exception. I was pulling for either a Nadal vs. Soderling grudge match in the semis or a chance for Tsonga to defend his title. Instead we get Novak Djokovic out-scrapping the Sod and Tsonga choking break points against Nadal. I won’t even get into Del Potro’s poop-out against Stepanek. At least Gael Monfils kept things interesting:

Saturday’s semifinals line-up in Paris will be: Djokovic vs. Nadal and Stepanek vs. Monfils. I’d say I’m excited, but I don’t want to jinx it.

Here are Friday’s highlights:

The biggest stories coming out of Bercy on Friday had more to do with the World Tour Finals than the Paris Masters. Rafael Nadal continues to chip his way closer to the year end No. 1 ranking, which could be within his reach by London. Rafa’s win over Tsonga also guaranteed his countryman, Fernando Verdasco, the final spot at the WTF. (Personally, I’ve found this week’s tournament to be a big WTF.)

Here’s the ATP’s World Tour Finals line-up:

“I guess I’m a clay court specialist now.” Roger told the press after losing to Julien Benneteau on Wednesday. “Indoors is not my surface anymore. . .”

“I’m kidding.”

Is he?

Federer’s loss to the No. 49 ranked Frenchman was certainly a surprise – even greater than his lackluster loss to Djokovic in last weekend’s Bercy final. Roger admitted yesterday that his game is not where it should be:

“I definitely had chances. I missed them. Seems to happen a bit to me now looking at the Basel final and the US Open final. I have to be sure I don’t let chances go by like this all the time.”

“I definitely have some work to do. It’s a matter of how I played last week in Basel. I played very conservative. It got me through to the final and then I couldn’t change my game against Djokovic. So I just have to make sure I play more aggressive and don’t let the other guy dictate play too much.”

Conservative? You mean like a clay court specialist? Roger says he’ll be hitting the practice courts (hopefully hard, fast ones!) as soon as he returns to Switzerland:

“I’m back home tomorrow and back to the practice courts to make sure I’m in top shape for London . . . Hope I can at least make a good run there (at the year end championships) because I feel like I have some good tennis left in me. I’m not going to let my head hang after this tournament. These matches sometimes happen for me.”

When asked if he was feeling pressure to do well at Bercy after taking Roland Garros in the spring, Roger grinned and said: “The pressure is long gone since Paris and other great victories I’ve had. It was just more pleasure staying in Paris (this week) and coming back as the Roland Garros champion.”

There’s some great video of Roger Federer’s presser – click here and here to watch.

It’s hard to know what to make of Roger’s comments. They’re like lighter-hearted versions of statements he made this spring. Remember “thank God the hard court season is over”? Of course, things worked out pretty well after that!

Roger was wrong about Benneteau, who he (jokingly) tipped to win the tournament. Quelle surprise, J.B. flamed out against Gael Monfils on Thursday. Andy Murray also looked hungover in his loss against Radek Stepanek.

Rafael Nadal scraped by Tommy Robredo, who failed to serve out their match in the third set. Perhaps knowing he’s closing in on the year-end No. 1 ranking helped the top Spaniard to persevere. From the ATP:

Following the top-ranked Roger Federer’s shock exit to Julien Benneteau on Wednesday, Nadal could significantly close the gap on his rival at the top of the South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings. At the start of the week, Federer led by 1,495 points, but could see his lead cut to a mere 305 points should Nadal capture his sixth tour-level title of the season this week.

In other Thursday action, Nikolay Davydenko lost to Robin Soderling but still qualified for the seventh spot at the World Tour Finals when Fernando Verdasco lost to Marin Cilic. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Novak Djokovic dominated their French opponents, Simon and Clement, respectively. Del Potro and Gonzalez have yet to finish their match.

Friday features some mouthwatering quarterfinal matchups: The match of the tournament in my mind will be Tsonga vs. Nadal, but Soderling vs. Djokovic, Monfils vs. Cilic and Stepanek vs. either Gonzo or del Po should all be great, as well.

This tournament is turning out to be pretty fun! Who needs that old clay court specialist from Switzerland, anyway?

Any day that Marat Safin and Roger Federer are kicked out of a tournament is a bad one. And today Marat’s gone forever! Oh well, at least some people are happy after Wednesday’s Paris Masters. Julien Benneteau got his best win, ever. Rafael Nadal saved 5 match points. Marat Safin doesn’t have to play tennis anymore. Whoopee f’ing doo.

Here are the video lowlights/highlights:

Andy Murray is also through, taking out James Blake in three tight sets.

Rafael Nadal did a lengthy interview with CNN’s Talk Asia while playing at the Shanghai Masters last month.

“I’m not a machine,” Nadal revealed, “and like everybody I have better moments than others.”

The second part features some great talk about the Fedal rivalry, Uncle Toni and the Mallorcan way of life:

The final section includes Rafa’s thoughts on his career: past, present and future. Shocker – Rafa calls himself  “one of the best in tennis!” What a conceited jerk.

Rafa takes the court again at the Paris Masters this coming week.

Thanks to GTT reader, LongLiveKingRog, for sending this link along! Click here for the CNN page.