Would be very arrogant of me to say I have achieved what I expected when I was 16: Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal has always been known for his humility and his self-effacing nature. And the Spaniard recently admitted that when he was 16, he didn't expect to achieve anything remotely close to what he has so far in his career.
Rafael Nadal spoke at length on several topics during a recent interaction for the Celebrity Magazine's December issue. The interview was conducted by Laura Stadler, who asked Rafael Nadal if he had ever envisioned himself being at the top of the sport even in his mid-30s.
The 13-time French Open champion replied that as a 16-year-old, all he hoped was to win a tournament - which eventually turned into a desire to triumph at Wimbledon.
“It would be very arrogant of me to say I am achieving what I expected when I was 16,” Nadal said. “At that age, I only wanted to be a professional tennis player and to win one tournament someday. My dream was to win Wimbledon, and I managed to do that for the first time in 2008. A lot has happened good, results wise, since that first interview when I was 16, and I have to say I am very thankful to life. I never expected to achieve even half of what I achieved."
A 34-year-old Rafael Nadal is still operating at full strength, but he knows that he isn’t getting any younger. Stadler asked him if he plans to take the ‘Federer route’ and skip a few tournaments to preserve his body, in response to which the Mallorcan acknowledged the 'luck' involved in his season this year.
Nadal then went on to imply he wouldn't be following in the footsteps of Roger Federer. The World No. 2 intends to take part in all the mandatory events for the foreseeable future.
“I am already playing tournaments I need to play,” Rafael Nadal said. “Not that we can choose that much since there are mandatory events. Obviously, this year has been an exception. I believe that we have been very lucky, since we can play and do what we enjoy, which is to compete. Some others are not as lucky as we are. But to your point, I am already playing those events we consider are the ones I should be playing in order to allow my career to continue."
Golf and sailing, together with being with my wife, family and friends, makes a perfect day for me: Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal also revealed that his ‘perfect day in Mallorca’ would include some of his most cherished pastimes - golfing, sailing and spending time with his loved ones.
“It all depends on what I have to do,” Nadal said. “Meaning if I have to work, practice or not. But it is not a secret that I love the sea. So, going out on a boat is one of my favourites. But it is also not a secret I love golf, and we are very lucky to have very good golf courses in the island. A combination of that, together with being with my wife, family and friends makes a perfect day for me.”
The 20-time Grand Slam champion doesn't have 'many good memories' from 2020, but he expressed his gratitude that his loved ones were left untouched by the pandemic.
“The positives are that closest to me are safe and okay, and none suffered badly from the pandemic,” Rafael Nadal said. “First for me is the health of my people, always. Then we all know it's been a year not to be happy with. A year where a lot of people have died, and a year that will bring negative consequences for the future. So, no, not that many good memories of 2020."