"I was not good enough in the past, I'm happy to give myself another chance at 36" - Rafael Nadal on his chances at ATP Finals 2022
Rafael Nadal possesses amongst the most glittering, trophy-laden careers in all tennis, but he is yet to lay claim to three big honors - the Miami Open, Paris Masters, and the ATP Finals.
He will soon have his 11th chance to win his maiden season-ending title when he takes to the court on Sunday to face Taylor Fritz in his opening group match.
Speaking to the media, Nadal stressed that he gives it his best in every tournament regardless of his record at the event. Admitting that he has never been "good enough" at the ATP Finals, the Spaniard thanked his stars for getting another chance to feature in the tournament.
"I try my best in every single event. That's true. Doesn't matter if I won it [in the past] or not. When I enter a tennis tournament, I want to win and I'm going to try my best to achieve that goal. Here I was not able to make it, I was not good enough to make it in the past. So I just accept that and I'm happy to give myself another chance at the age of 36 — something, for me, that was difficult to imagine years ago," he explained.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion is yet to play the season-ending event in Turin, having missed the 2021 edition - the same year the tournament shifted to the Italian city from London. Nadal believes a change in scenery could prove useful, even though he labeled the London segment of the tournament as "unforgettable."
"First time for me in Turin. That's something that is great because in the end, we know different places, we are able to live different experiences, different types of fans," he said.
"London has been unforgettable, great. Now Turin. The Italian crowd is super passionate. So I'm very excited about enjoying this [Nitto ATP] Finals here in Turin. Hopefully that gives me some positive feelings," he added.
"I need practice, I need improvements, but I'm happy" - Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal has played very little tennis since losing in the fourth round of the US Open a few months ago. In fact, the Mallorcan has only played one match - his loss to Tommy Paul in the second round of the Paris Masters.
Injuries and the birth of his first child have kept him occupied in the past couple of months, and he echoed the same while speaking to the media.
"I like to spend days on the Tour, first of all, and then of course the last couple of months I was not able to spend a lot of time on the Tour. I'm happy to be here, happy to be playing the last tournament of the year, sharing with the other Top 7," Nadal said, speaking to ATP Media during media day in Turin.
Nadal admitted that he needs "practice" and "improvements."
"I need practice, I need improvements, but I'm happy. I'm here to try my best and to try to achieve my goals," he added.