CafeTalks

A thrilling interview of Rafael Nadal- the champion tennis sensation.

‘But for Federer, I’d be No 1’

After losing to the Swiss Master, Rafael Nadal tells Anupama Bagri that had he been playing in any other era, he would have been on top of the world rankings by now

"You are the first player to finish No 2 in the world for three consecutive years in the history of ATP rankings. How do you look back at the season?"

"I am very happy. I think I played my best tennis ever and am feeling good about it. I have said before that with the points I have I could have been No 1 in other years but I am playing against Roger Federer who keeps improving as time passes by. I am happy that I have been able to deliver some good performances in the last year and maintain my rankings. My motto has always been to concentrate on improving my consistency further and gain valuable points in the coming year and I am happy that I am doing it."

"You are one of the very few players to have a better record against Roger Federer. What are the reasons behind this success?"

"He’s a great player on court and an excellent person outside court. He’s a very complete player and has got every shot. Federer for me is the best player. I share a good relationship with him. I have to play my best, probably 120% and try to hold on as much as I can. It is true that I have played him more on clay and that’s to my benefit, but we always have close matches. I don’t really know of any secret. I give my best all the time and maybe that helps me a lot."

"When do you think you can dethrone Federer from his No 1 position?"

"I can’t say anything about that. Federer is the best, one of the best in the history of the game and I am still young."

"Will you win Wimbledon or will Federer clinch the French Open first?"

"Well, I can’t say anything about it. Playing Wimbledon is very difficult. You’re talking about a surface that is, the most difficult for my style of play and my game. But I want to do my best, and got into Wimbledon with the best possible preparation. And if I don’t succeed, I’ll go back home happy, because I’ve done what I could. I am very happy with my performances these past two years and particularly with this year’s one, since I think the draw was more difficult for me."

"You’ll be making your third appearance at the Chennai Open. How do you rate your chances?"

"Chennai is the best place for me to play that week (Dec 31-Jan 6) as I like the surface (hard). I won my first ever title here though it was in doubles (2004). The Chennai tournament is a great event and the enthusiasm of the crowds is very encouraging. I love India and it is a pleasure to be coming back. I would like to start the year on a winning note and gain some valuable points in the ATP rankings. I wish to take my game to the next level."

"Would you be playing doubles in Chennai? If so, with whom?
Yes, I had decided early this year that I would concentrate on doubles as well. I would definitely love to play doubles at Chennai. I am yet to decide on my partner. It will be done once I get there."

"You clinched your third straight title at Roland Garros this year. Which of the three has been most satisfying and why?"

"I think all three of them are important as they have come at different moments. Winning the first title is always special and the other two were against a champion like Federer and I am happy that I could play better against him in these two finals. This year we were both looking to win a special thing. It was exciting."

"You became the first Spaniard to make the final at Wimbledon in back-toback years. This time you really ran Federer close. Federer admitted that he was lucky to win. Did you try anything extra this time?"

"Reaching the Wimbledon final two years in a row was really great. Especially, considering the fact that I was successful on
clay and it was believed that I don’t have the game to succeed on grass. I’m happy that I am getting used to grass. I give myself some years to improve further. Yes, I know I had my chances this year, but Federer played hard on the key points and it was my bad luck. I just decided to play an aggressive game and attack harder. In order to play well on grass, you have to feel good on the court. I’m still young. There’s a lot that I still need to improve which I’m trying to do on a daily basis. My intention is to play in Wimbledon so that I can keep on learning and I am sure results will come soon."

"How do you rate Novak Djokovic of Serbia as a player? What do you have to say about Djokovic imitating you?"

"He is a good attacking player and has a good court sense. He is doing good for himself and has surprised everyone this year. It was quite impressive. Next year will be a very important one since he has to defend all those points. He is good, very good. Regarding the imitations I don’t really care much. I know he has gained some popularity with it. I would not do things like this but everyone is different."

"You lost 0-6 to Nalbandian in the Paris Masters final this year (only his second 0-6 set loss in 2007, the other coming against Federer in Hamburg). Were you shocked by the result of the match?"

"David played a very good match and he was hitting all the right shots. Somehow I was not feeling very good on the court and I was not getting the rhythm. He already beat me in Madrid a couple of weeks earlier. I think no one could stop him those weeks. Really impressive tennis."

"You were plagued by knee injuries after the US Open. How is it feeling now?"

"Now I’m feeling fine. I think it was not a major injury. I arrived in Shanghai after 21 hours of travel. I went straight to practice, and practiced really hard. I felt some pain in my muscle and got it checked. I have had to make some changes on my serve. The rest of my game, I need to play the same because I am playing good. I am just trying to improve a little bit on my forehand winner, volley, slice and aggressive return. It’s not to save the body, no, because I am just 20 years old. You need to improve to try and be among the top players in the world."

"What are your goals for next season?"

"Looking ahead, my main objective is to become a better player and to be happy. I still think this has to be my goal and if I do so the results will come on their own."

"As a person, what’s the real Nadal like?"

"I think aggression is all part of the game. I always go with the intention of giving it a 100%. I just keep trying to get charged up for the game ahead and stay mentally focussed. Concentration is also very important and I think I am getting there. Outside the courts I am a very normal guy who likes to do normal things like going out with friends, play golf, go out fishing and just be with my family. This is also the real me."

"What do you do in your off-season?"

"I’ve always loved sports, soccer, tennis, golf... that’s what made it easier. I feel a bit privileged for doing what I love to do. In my off season, I go out fishing, I have a small boat and...not much more. I don’t have the best car, or the best computer, nothing of that kind. I don’t need those things. I am happy the way I am."

"Federer offered you a ride on his aircraft. You guys have tremendous respect for each other, which is very rare in the competitive world of modern sport. Your thoughts."

"Yes he did. I had to get to Cincinnati and was stuck. I asked him if I could get a ride with him. I wouldn’t say we are friends since my English is not good enough to talk to him a lot and say all I think, but we get along very well. He is a nice guy."

NADAL: VITAL STATS

Birthdate: Jun 3, 86 Birthplace: Manacor, Mallorca Residence: Manacor, Mallorca Height: 6'1'' (185 cm) Weight: 188 lbs (85 kg) Plays: Left-handed Turned Pro: 2001 Coach: Toni Nadal Current ATP Ranking: 2 Career-High: 2 Singles Record 2007: 68-13 Prize Money 2007: $4,596,935 Titles in 2007: Stuttgart, ATP Masters Series Indian Wells, ATP Masters Series Monte Carlo, ATP Masters Series Rome, Barcelona, Roland Garros

(Brought to you by arrowpoint on blog.co.uk)

(This article was published in The Times Of India, New Delhi Edition on the 19 Nov. 2007)
(Copyrights of the original publishers acknowledged)

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE MARKETING MIX OF DABUR REAL AND PEPSI TROPICANA

Can Dabur Real Foods put more juice in the juice market? The company which has turned fruit juices into a Rs 60-crore business has been turning on the taps in recent months — and it hasn’t been afraid to innovate. It’s heading off in untested directions by launching a new range called Coolers which includes traditional recipes like Aam Ka Panna (a green mango drink). It has also launched a pomegranate juice and a water melon drink. A jamun variant will soon follow.
Or, look at Pepsi Foods that has recently launched Tropics, a new range of what are called nectars in the fruit juice business. Pepsi has started out with a relatively unadventurous mango flavour but it will soon be putting guava and litchi on the shelves.

If that’s not enough, Pepsi Foods is also aiming at customers with more exotic tastes with an orange-apple combination and a tropical fruit fusion drink (a mix of mango, guava, pineapple, orange and apple juices).

Dabur and Pepsi Foods aren’t the only companies that are moving into overdrive in the juice business. As Indians take bigger swigs than ever before of packaged juices a slew of companies are hoping to grab a share of the action.

The result is that players like Dabur Foods, Pepsi Foods, Godrej Industries’ Foods Division, Mother Dairy and even the small Ladakh Foods are betting big money on this market by flooding it with new fruit beverages. “It’s a huge market with its potential still to be tapped,” says Sanjay Sharma, head of marketing at Dabur Foods.

The results are on show to anyone who steps into a neighbourhood supermarket. There are now racks filled with fruit juices, nectars and drinks (the difference lies in the pulp content — juices are 100 per cent while drinks are below 20 per cent and nectars fall in between).

The swift growth in the market is attracting newcomers like Mother Dairy which recently launched the Safal brand of juices. Safal is currently available in orange, mixed fruit, grape and an orange-apple combination. Ladakh Foods, makers of the Leh Berry seabuckthorn berry drink, has now also launched an apple-peach combination juice and a mixed fruit variant.

Even Godrej Industries Foods Division has introduced fruit juices under the Xs brand (which earlier only consisted of nectars) and a soya milk fruit juice based drink called Sofit this year. Parle Agro — of Frooti and N-joi fame — too is rumoured to be on the verge of new launches.

To add to the buzz, players are now looking at different pack sizes and price points. New entrants are also expected to join the fray in the Rs 500-crore organised fruit beverage market (nectars, drinks and juices combined).
One newcomer is likely to be Ahmedabad-based Pioma Industries — makers of the Rasna brand of soft drink concentrates, which test marketed a diluted mango juice in Andhra Pradesh, but dropped the launch plan after a lacklustre response. Industry experts predict that the company may try again either this year or the next.

What’s making all these players gung-ho about fruit beverages? For one, the fruit drink market (juice accounts for 30 per cent, nectar is 10 per cent and fruit drinks are 60 per cent of the market today) has grown at a 20 per cent to 25 per cent rate. Obviously, some segments are doing better than others. Fruit-based milk drinks (market size Rs 20 crore to Rs 25 crore) like N-joi are currently stagnating. But fruit-based soya milk, another emerging segment reckoned to be worth about Rs 15 crore to Rs 20 crore is expected to grow rapidly. Godrej, which recently launched the Sofit brand, is experimenting with this market for the second time. Ten years back, its soya milk brand Great Shakes failed miserably because of its taste.

But it’s not just the health fad that has led to the growth spurt. Cola sales fell dramatically after the pesticide controversy and this seems to have benefited the fruit beverage industry.

POSITIONING OF THE FRUIT JUICE AS A HEALTH PRODUCT

Soft carbonated drinks (colas) grew 17 per cent in 2002 but fell 15 per cent in 2003. Says Alaka Bhosle, marketing consultant with ad agency Percept H, “It’s one of the key factors that has led to the kind of growth that we have seen in the last year. But this growth will continue since consumers are now hooked on.”

“What also made the market work is the fact that tetrapaks offered a solution to provide fruit juice practically fresh and preservative free,” says M P Pusalkar, executive director & president, Godrej Industries, Foods Division. The proliferation of supermarkets and malls in metros and mini-metros (key markets for this category), added to the growth story as well. And then there is the income factor.

The other factors that have helped are the different pack sizes that players started offering in the last year. Tropicana launched a 500 ml pack at Rs 25 compared to a one litre pack for Rs 76. Says Subroto Chattopadhyay, executive director, Pepsi Foods, “These new price points and packs are aimed at getting more consumers to try the new product, and in turn increase the consumer base.”

All of this has resulted in increased in-home consumption of juices which has gone up from 30 per cent three years back to almost 80 per cent today. Says Dabur’s Sharma, “Consumers perceive this as the next best thing to having a fresh fruit. Convenience is no longer the selling point, the naturalness is.”

Everyone now has big plans for the future. Dabur, which currently has a 55 per cent market share, wants to launch more Indian fruits and even fruit and vegetable juice combinations in the near future. It is also trying to bring down prices. So, it has launched Coolers 15 per cent cheaper than Real because it has a lower pulp content. And by setting up a food processing plant in Siliguri, West Bengal, Sharma says Dabur will source fruits directly from farmers and cut down raw material or pulp costs which comprise almost 30 per cent of the finished product.

Similarly, other players like Godrej are also looking at launching new variants including combinations by year end. Parle Agro, which has been experimenting with sugarcane juice for sometime now, has launched mango Frooti in 65 ml packs in Pune, Gurgaon and Mumbai for Rs 5. A year back, it extended the Frooti brand into pineapple and orange variants as well as launching it in 250 ml and one litre PET bottles.

Pepsi’s Tropicana has tied up with equestrian sports and polo clubs to build bridges with the well-heeled young adults. Its recent sampling exercise included an interactive quiz reaching out to 200,000 students from 150 schools in Delhi. But the big issue is that they are all playing with the same fruits. It has to be seen how longconsumers can sip the same concoctions.

RETAIL PRICING OF PEPSI TROPICANA VIS A VIS OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS

The details about the product follows in the order

Product Name, Unit, MRP, Our Price:

JUICE TROPICANA NATURE SWEET (ORANGE & GRAPE) 250ML 16.00 15.68

JUICE TROPICANA PINEAPPLE 250ML 16.00 15.68

JUICE TROPICANA ORANGE 250ML 16.00 15.00

DRINK GODREJ XS LITCHI PULP 250 ML 15.00 14.70

DRINK GODREJ XS MANGO PULP 250ML 15.00 14.70

JUICE REAL MIX FRUIT 200 ML 15.00 14.50

JUICE TROPICANA APPLE 200 ML 15.00 14.50

JUICE TROPICANA NATURE SWEET (ORANGE & GRAPE) 200 ML 14.00 13.70

JUICE TROPICANA ORANGE 200 ML 14.00 13.70

JUICE REAL ORANGE 200 ML 13.00 12.75

(Source: Internet; copyrights of the respective publishers acknowledged)