World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, who won what his great rival Roger Federer called an ‘unbelievable’ 11th French Open title on Sunday, has claimed that he is an ‘ordinary man achieving some extraordinary things on the court.
Nadal pulled out of the upcoming Fever-Tree Championships at the historic Queen’s Club in London on Wednesday. According to the Spaniard a grueling clay-court campaign, which saw winning his 11th title at the Monte Carlo Masters, Barcelona Open, Rome Open and a 17th Grand Slam crown in Paris took a toll on his body. After consulting his doctors, who advised him to take rest, Nadal decided to give the Wimbledon warm-up event a miss.
The 32-year-old was asked what he would say to people who believe he is an absolute myth on clay. In his reply he told atpworldtour.com: “My answer is that I’m an ordinary guy achieving some extraordinary things. That’s the reality. I don’t let the superlatives get to my head because I don’t have the time for that. I don’t want to sound like I’m something special but yes, it’s unique to win the same Grand Slam 11 times.”
“Everything I do is a day-to-day process. Yes, I’m confident. I’ve won 86 out of 88 matches I played [in Paris]. Maybe, in around 75 of those matches I stepped onto the court thinking I could win but also lose. That’s one of the keys to success. So, my thoughts on all of this? I’m grateful. At the end of the day, there are people who work just as hard as me, probably even harder.”
“Just because that’s what the headlines say doesn’t mean it’s what I believe. I stick to my own thoughts, and the thoughts of my team. I go into Roland Garros as prepared as possible and when I step on the court, my goal is to do the best that I can. These days, I also fall back on my experience.”
