Nadal, 35 years old, was number 1 in the world for the first time on August 18, 2008 and for the last time on January 20, 2020. Although he remains in the ‘top ten’ of world tennis, the constant injuries changed the outlook for ‘la Fiera de Manacor’.
For some time I felt that I was ready to be number one, but the physical did not allow me
“For some time I felt that I was ready to be number one, but my physique did not allow me… today my goals are others, I am not going to pursue that goal in any case, I think it would be a mistake to pursue it” Nadal said.
The Spaniard underlined that “for years I have played quite little” and that you have to be selective in the tournaments that make up your activity schedulewhich is impossible to reduce further.
“They keep asking me ‘Are you going to reduce the calendar more?’ and I say ‘if I reduce it more I stop being a tennis player’that is the reality because I have been playing very little for years and in the end what we dedicate ourselves to is playing tennis and, if possible, we try to play where we feel like it, where we like it and more so at this point in my career and this (the Mexican Open in Acapulco) is one of the places where he has historically had good feelings”.
does not feel favorite
Even though players like the German Alexander Zverev (3/ATP) have pointed to Rafa Nadal as the favorite to achieve the title in this edition of the Mexican Open, the Spaniard has removed the label.
“I never considered myself or thought so much, I always tried to make my way respecting each rival as much as possible and without going too far. In the end today I played against Kudla and my goal was this match, tomorrow (Wednesday) it will be (Stefan) Koslov (in second round) and my objective will be that, and from there, well, build things day by day”, Nadal pointed out.
‘The Fierce’ he knows that for the Mexican fans he is the sentimental favorite because he is on the route to being crowned in the Mexican Open for the fourth time with what would match the top winners of the tournament in history: the Austrian Thomas Muster and the Spanish David Ferrer.
Despite knowing himself to be the main player to watch in Acapulco, Nadal no longer feels pressured. “At this point, not anymore. I’m almost 36 years old and I’ve been competing for many years and I assure you that there is nothing external that generates more pressure on me than my self-demand; the only thing else that produces me is satisfaction, happiness, and feeling the love of the people are the only thing that helps me to play better and to be better”.