“I don’t think 21 Grand Slams will be enough to end up being the one with the most Grand Slam titles” – Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal reckons that his current haul of 21 Grand Slams might not be enough to guarantee that he will end up as the player with the most Majors in tennis history.

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”.

“Do I want to be the one out of the 3 to end with more GS? Yes, I’d love that. Am I obsessed with it? Not at all. I don’t think 21 Grand Slams will be enough to end up being the one with most Major titles.”

“The debate about the best in history is totally understandable because it generates fans, but internally I live it in a different way, naturally and as always with the intention of making my way without thinking about what’s next,” the Mallorcan said.

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.

“I have to see how my body responds in the next few days & then we’ll analyze things calmly. [As of now] my schedule is Acapulco and then Indian Wells,” Nadal said. “I’d say I’ll be in Indian Wells as long as there is no problem. As far as Acapulco is concerned, there’s time as it’s in 2 weeks time, but we have to see.”

“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.

“Before the final I was very nervous because I knew that what was at stake was very important. I had been through very tough months, without being able to train well,” the Mallorcan said. “Then the COVID-19 pandemic happened and I had to be at home for 10 days.”

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.

“Tennis always gives you an option though. It is true that at 6-2, 7-6 and 3-2 (with 0-40) the reality is that I also thought it was very complicated,” Nadal said. “The only thing that you can’t do is to say, “Well that’s it” and give up.”

Also ReadArticle Continues below