"I don't fight to be No. 1, I will not fight anymore to be No. 1" - Rafael Nadal shuts down talk of additional pressure of chasing Carlos Alcaraz for year-end top spot once and for all
Rafael Nadal has made it clear once more that he could not care less about finishing the year as the World No. 1, shutting down any talks that he is under extra pressure chasing Carlos Alcaraz for the top spot.
Speaking at his press conference ahead of his 2022 Paris Masters opener, the 22-time Grand Slam champion reiterated that he was at a stage in his career where he no longer had the World No. 1 spot in mind. Instead, his focus was on more immediate things, such as being competitive in every tournament he chose to play in, however few they may be.
"Well, to be clear, as I understand, it's an interesting point for you, because you are talking about fighting for be No. 1," Nadal said. "I don't fight to be No. 1, you know? I just fight to keep being competitive in every event that I played."
The Mallorcan, who has spent a total of 209 weeks as the World No. 1 previously, was happy that he managed to get there, adding that it was an achievement he was very proud of. At the same time, Nadal remained adamant that he doesn't feel any inclination to repeat the feat at the expense of his body these days.
"Something that I said since long time ago: I will not fight anymore to be No. 1. I did in the past. I achieved that goal a couple of times of my career that I have been very, very happy and proud about achieving that," he said. "But I am in a moment of my tennis career that I don't fight to be No. 1."
The 36-year-old touched on his first time becoming the year-end World No. 1 back in 2008, recalling how he knew beforehand that he was guaranteed the spot after his exploits all season.
That year, the former World No. 1 won eight ATP Tour titles, including the French Open, Wimbledon, the Hamburg Masters, the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Canada Masters. He also won the Beijing Olympics to go with it, earning more than $6 million in prize money across the season.
"The question was if that add pressure for me today. Not anymore, but in the first time? 2008? I don't think so," Nadal said. "No, at the end of the season was clear that I would be No. 1, I think, if I am not wrong. I don't remember very well, honestly."
According to Nadal, whether one finishes as the year-end World No. 1 or not is nothing more than the consequence of what one did throughout the year, which is why he holds his 2008 season in such high regard.
Despite brilliant seasons in 2005, 2006 and 2007 as well, the Spaniard could not reach the top spot solely due to the presence of a prime and near-invincible Roger Federer, who relinquished his hold on the No. 1 position to Nadal in August 2008 after 237 consecutive weeks. Regardless, the 22-time Grand Slam champion was thankful to the Swiss for pushing him, noting that continuously chasing Federer helped him become consistent.
"No, I mean, when you are having a positive year, be No. 1 or not is consequence of all the things that you did well during the year, no? It's obvious that when I was No. 1 for the first time in my career in 2008, I really wanted to be there, because I felt that 2005, '06, '07, including '08, I was doing amazing results, winning a lot of tournaments, having a lot of points on the ranking system," he said. "I had somebody in front of me like Roger, no? So in some way I think I had been very consistent."
"I don't know how many events I played, like ten, and I finished eight; difficult to be No. 1 like this" - Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal admitted during the press conference that he deserved a shot at finishing as the year-end World No. 1 and that he was glad to have the opportunity to challenge Carlos Alcaraz for the spot.
At the same time, the southpaw isn't sure how someone like him, who has played only a handful of tournaments all year, can maintain that position, irrespective of how consistent his performances are.
"I think I deserve to be there, no, because it's nice to arrive to No. 1, takes some time, and you need to fight for it, and that helps to be even more consistent, no? Today is a different story for me," Nadal said. "I don't know how many events I played, like ten, and I finished eight. Difficult to be No. 1 like this. But happy to be in that position that says when I was playing I was playing well."
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