Rafael Nadal: 'It would be amazing for me to win...'

In 2020 Rafael Nadal won Roland Garros for the 13th time in his career, despite the Parisian Grand Slam being played in markedly different conditions than usual due to the pandemic. The former world number 1 also took away the satisfaction of demolishing Novak Djokovic in the final, once again confirming that he is by far the best player ever on clay. Yet another success in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower also allowed the Spaniard to equal Roger Federer's all-time record of 20 Grand Slams. At the Australian Open, where he triumphed only once back in 2009, the 34-year-old Majorcan could permanently detach his eternal rival (who hasn't flown to Australia for the first time in the last 23 years). In a long interview granted (remotely) to CNN Sports, The Manacor Phenomenon revealed that he is not obsessed with records and also expressed his point of view on the quarantine-related diatribe.

Nadal not obsessed with breaking Slam record

"I did much more than what I ever dreamed in my tennis career. It would be amazing for me to win one more," Rafael Nadal said. "But I know that will not be the key for my happiness in the future. It's not extra pressure and it's not an obsession. I keep going, doing it my way," he added. "If it happens, fantastic, but if not, I'm more than happy about everything that happened to me." But Nadal believes that his colleagues should have a wider perspective about the prevailing global health situation, and be mindful of the losses that people have suffered during the pandemic. "I feel very sorry for all of them but when we came here, we knew that the measures were going to be strict because we knew that the country is doing great with the pandemic," said Rafael Nadal. "It's normal to complain [...] but on the other hand you see how many are dying around the world," he added. "You see how many people are losing their father, their mum, without having the chance to say goodbye. It's a real thing, not a philosophical thing, that's real life. That's what's happening in my country. Close people to me are suffering this situation. It's a different situation than usual, it's much more sad for everyone. But at least we're here, we're going to have a chance to play here. The world is suffering in general, so we can't complain. I feel that we are privileged people today, having the chance to keep doing our jobs," Rafael Nadal said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3psJ71D