At one point in his career, Rafael Nadal believed that it was inconceivable that he would become a 11-time French Open champion.
That all changed on Sunday as he continued his love affair with Roland Garros. A tournament where he has only lost two matches since making his debut back in 2005. Taking on world No.8 Dominic Thiem, the Spaniard overcame some tough resistance to prevail in straight sets. Becoming only the second player on the ATP Tour to win 17 grand slam titles after Roger Federer.
“If you told me seven, eight years ago that I will be here at 32-years-old having this trophy with me again, I would have told you that is something almost impossible, but here we are.” Said Nadal.
“It is true that in my career, I achieved much more than what I ever dreamed. But at the same time, it’s true that I went through tough moments, a lot of times in terms of injuries.”
Nadal’s journey to the ‘undecima’ at Roland Garros has been far from smooth. After retiring from the Australian Open in January with a hip problem, he missed two-and-a-half months of the tour. But yet again it was on his beloved clay that rejuvenated his career with titles won in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome prior to Roland Garros.
“Coming back (from injury) and having the chance to win in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, Rome, and now especially here, it’s very emotional for me.” He said.
“(Today) was a very special moment and to receive that minute or two minutes of the crowd Supporting (standing ovation), that feeling in that moment was difficult to describe. Very emotional for me.”
The future
At the age of 32, Nadal joins an elite group. He is one of only four men to have won three or more majors after their 30th birthday. The others are Federer, Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall. Despite the growing trend of players playing later into their careers, Nadal knows he will not be on the tour forever. Although he isn’t concerned about the prospect of retirement.
“I am not worried about the future. I always say the same: ‘Tennis is a very important part of my life, without a doubt, but it’s not everything.’ I have a lot of other things that makes me happy, and so I am not much worried about the future.” He stated.
Despite the laid back attitude, there are no signs of the Spaniard easing down. His next mission will be to add the Wimbledon title to his collection. Not since 2010 has Nadal won both the French Open and Wimbledon within the same year.
“I am just trying to keep enjoying, and I’m gonna keep playing until my body resist, and my happiness is still high in playing tennis. When that change, will be a time to do another thing, and I am not worried about this.”
The Federer comparison
Now with 17 grand slam titles, Nadal is just three adrift from Federer’s all-time record of 20. The two players have won all of the last six major titles between them. Inevitably, some are wondering if Nadal will go on to break his rival’s all-time record given the fact he is four years younger than him.
“I never have been crazy about all this kind of stuff.” Nadal said in reference to Federer’s record. “You can’t always be frustrated, if somebody has more money than you, if somebody has a bigger house than you, if somebody has more Grand Slams than you. You can’t live with that feeling.”
Whilst not fixated on the issue, this doesn’t mean that Nadal’s ambitions to triumph on the biggest stages of the sport have lessened. He has now won 79 ATP titles, which is the fourth highest tally in the Open Era.
“17 (grand slam titles) is an amazing number. I feel very lucky for all of the things that have happened to me. I am enjoying that moment. And that doesn’t mean that I will not keep fighting to give me more chances in the future.” He concluded.
“I play for my happiness, and I know that I had already amazing career. So I’m just gonna keep fighting for things and that’s it.”
According to his schedule, Nadal is set to return to action a week on Monday at the Fever-Tree Championships in London.
