Rafael Nadal: 'I came to Paris to play my best tennis and not think about injuries'

The 20-time Major champion Rafael Nadal leads the field at the last Masters 1000 event of the season in Paris. Following the 13th crown at Roland Garros, Nadal wasn't sure about competing at the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals. Last Tuesday, world no. 2 decided to enter the Masters 1000 event in the French capital, seeking one of the rare notable titles he is missing in his rich collection. Rafa made a debut in Paris in 2007, reaching the final but winning only four games against David Nalbandian to settle with the runner-up prize. Suffering many injuries in the post-US Open months over the years, Nadal was never the favorite on an indoor hard court, reaching three more semi-finals in Paris but never fighting for the title again. Twelve months ago, Rafa advanced into the semi-final following a victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, withdrawing with an abdominal injury ahead of Denis Shapovalov but earning valuable points in the year-end no. 1 battle against Novak Djokovic.

After proper and well-deserved rest, Rafa will seek back-to-back crowns in the French capital following the historic Roland Garros success, standing as the top seed as the defending champion Novak Djokovic decided to skip Paris. Nadal had been working on an indoor hard court at his Academy, preparing for Paris and the ATP Finals, another important event where he has failed to put his hands on the trophy. Nadal has played only five tournaments in 2020, winning two ATP crowns. Spending six months at home, Nadal stayed away from the tennis court in March and April, starting to practice in May and not liking New York conditions ahead of Cincinnati and the US Open.

Rafael Nadal is the top seed at the Rolex Masters in Paris.

The Spaniard skipped both events, keeping 2000 points for the US Open title from the last year and setting his eyes on Rome and Roland Garros. Rafa failed to lift another trophy in Rome, losing to Diego Schwartzman in the quarters and entering uncharted territories in Paris, dealing with cold and rainy weather and a roof above Philippe-Chatrier. Standing above all the obstacles and rivals, Nadal claimed the 13th Roland Garros crown, never losing a set and joining Roger Federer on 20 Major trophies. Saving the entire season, Nadal will now seek the 36th Masters 1000 crown at the other Parisian ATP tournament, the one he never won in the past, hoping to play injury-free and present his best tennis.

"I'm here to play my best and not to think about injuries. When I go to a tournament, I focus on trying to play my best tennis. Not worry about if I got injured in the past that can happen again. We are indeed in different circumstances than in previous years. Still, you need to take care of the situation and be ready to accept any inconvenience. If nothing happens in Paris, I will compete at the ATP Finals. It is part of the history of our game. It's an important event and a gathering of the best players of the season. I like to play tennis, so I like to play a bit more than two tournaments every six or seven months, no? So it's nothing new that I played well after a while without playing tennis; I did it in the past. That confirms that I can do it. But I hope next year we can have a more usual calendar and I can play some more tennis," Rafael Nadal said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3kP48AZ