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Rafael Nadal - Source: Reuters -
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Tennis is one of the truly global sports and a Rafael Nadal
press conference is certainly an event.
We had journalists from Spain, Argentina, France, Italy, USA,
Japan, England, Switzerland and of course China coming to interview
one of the most popular figures in world sport.
Questions were relayed in English and simultaneously translated
into Chinese.
Later the subsequent questions in Chinese were translated through
the headphones into English.
You had to pity the 23-year-old Nadal.
His English has improved greatly in six years on the tour but it is
difficult to understand accents, intonation and the like and the
Chinese translator was not very clear either.
And he was hit with some tough questions.
Reporter: "Considering your injury and everything, you still have
possibility that you could end the year number one if things go
very well. If you had a choice, what would it be, to become number
one
again by the end of the year or to win the Davis Cup?
"It's a difficult question to answer. To finish the year number one
I win here, win Paris and win almost the Masters Cup. It's
impossible to think about that.
"I think it is easier to think about winning the Davis Cup final. I
am more ready to play the Davis Cup final than the other
things."
Later when asked of the same thing in Spanish the answer was very
different.
"Por ahora, numero uno ya no existe..."
"For me, at the moment, number one doesn't exist. I can't even
think about it - it is more realistic to stay at number two. I have
been in the top two for the past five years..".
Obviously he is able to express himself clearly and more eloquently
in his mother tongue whereas he can be understandably cautious in
English.
Additionally, perhaps he knows that whatever he says to the world's
media will instantly be splashed all of the pages of every media
outlet possible - in the most sensationalised way.
Whereas the Spanish media, who have a close relationship with Nadal
and interview him more than anyone else, will perhaps take a more
circumspect approach to the sound bites he offers.
As he returns to winning ways after an injury-induced slump, expect
even more interest, more questions and the occasional moments of
miscommunication.
tvnz.co.nz's Michael Burgess is in China courtesy of the
Asia New Zealand foundation and travelled there with Air New
Zealand. He is aiming to investigate the impact and legacy of the
2008 Beijing Olympic Games and will be writing about the sights and
sounds of China along the way.
