Rafael Nadal feels lucky to be part of the Big 3 era: Doesn’t matter if one has 21 and the other finishes with 23

Rafael Nadal may have been the first man to win 21 Grand Slam titles in men’s singles but he played down the race for the most major crowns with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, saying that the three decorated players have achieved more than what they dreamed of when they set out to play the sport.

Nadal on Sunday broke away from the three-way tie with Federer and Djokovic for the most men’s singles Grand Slam titles by winning his 21st at the Australian Open. The Spaniard defeated World no. 2, Daniil Medvedev in a pulsating 5-set marathon that extended to 5 hours and 24 minutes after coming back from 2 sets down.

Federer won his 20th Grand Slam as early as February 2018 at the Australian Open but he missed out on No. 21 when he lost the Wimbledon final to Djokovic in 2019. Meanwhile, Djokovic went from 17 to 20 by winning the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon last year but missed out on a Calendar Slam after defeat to Medvedev in the US Open final.

“At the end of the day, it’s just a game and in some way we achieved more than what we ever dreamed of when we were kids,” Nadal told reporters.

“It doesn’t matter that much if one is 21, one is 20, or the other finished 23 and the other with 21.

“I think we did very important things for our sport and we achieved our dreams and we enjoy it. I feel lucky to be part of this era that has been very special for our sport.”

NADAL NOT SURE OF NEXT STOP ON TOUR

The 35-year-old, who pulled out of Wimbledon, the Tokyo Olympics and the U.S. Open in 2021 and returned to competitive action last month, said the satisfaction of winning his second Australian Open crown was impossible to describe.

Nadal said he was not thinking about his next tournament.

“I have my schedule planned, but I’m enjoying the moment… I need to see how my body recovers from an amazing month and I’m going to make my decision,” Nadal said.