The World No. 5 overtook Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the Slam race by winning the 2022 Australian Open on Sunday. His victory over Daniil Medvedev in the final meant the Spaniard became the outright leader for the first time in his career in terms of Grand Slam titles with 21 Majors to his name.
On Wednesday, the 21-time Grand Slam champion attended a press conference at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Manacor, Spain. The 35-year-old then revealed that he does not obsess over who will end up winning the most Grand Slams.
While Nadal accepted that the GOAT debate was inevitable among fans, he did not want the distraction to permeate to his daily life. Instead, he wanted to continue living as he always has – “without thinking about what’s next”.
Referring to his plans for the rest of the year, the former World No. 1 stated that he wanted to wait and gauge his fitness levels before making a commitment. As of now, Nadal disclosed that he wanted to play at the Acapulco Open (February 21-26) and the Indian Wells Masters (March 10-20) before the clay season begins.
“Before the final I was very nervous because I knew what was at stake was very important” - Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal remarked that the sheer magnitude of what he could achieve if he won the final at Melbourne Park was enough to make him nervous before the match. He recalled his injury in the prior months, the COVID-19 infection he contracted that made him forego valuable training sessions - all of which added to his nervousness.
To add to his trepidation, there was a point in the final where he was trailing by two sets and on the verge of being broken in the third set to go 2-4 down. But true to character, the former World No. 1 noted that he survived because if tennis had taught him one thing, it was that one could never give up.
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