Rafael Nadal is the "male GOAT" after winning Australian Open "against all odds": Journalist Christiane Amanpour
Rafael Nadal won a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam at the 2022 Australian Open. Renowned journalist Christiane Amanpour weighed in on the Spaniard's historic achievement on her show on CNN, hailing him for triumphing against the odds.
"And finally, a record broken against all odds. Rafael Nadal has won his 21st Grand Slam at the Australian Open, breaking the previous men's record he shared with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Imagine this, at 35 you're one of the oldest players on the tour," Amanpour said. "Months ago a foot injury means you might never return to tennis and then you find youself two sets down to the second seed Daniil Medvedev in the final. But now imagine that none of that stops you."
Amanpour further went on to describe Nadal as the greatest male player in tennis.
"And doing it his way at Grand Slams makes him a male GOAT, aka the Greatest of all Time."
.@RafaelNadal’s record-breaking Australian Open victory was extraordinary. But he told me last year that to win a 21st Grand Slam would be “amazing… but you know what? I know that will not be the key for my happiness in the future.”
“I just keep going, doing it my way.” https://t.co/ZiyNl5gUzk
Last year, Amanpour interviewed Nadal and asked him about his motivation in regards to the Grand Slam race. The Spaniard said that while he would be pleased if he ended up with more Majors than his rivals, his happiness did not depend solely on that.
"I did much more than what they ever did, you know, in my tennis career so of course it will be amazing for me to win one more, and to be at the end of my career to be the player with more Grand Slams," the Spaniard said. "But you know what, I know that will not be the key for my happiness in the future."
Nadal further stated that the Slam record was not an "obsession" for him.
"So you know, just be something about trying something every single day, you know, every tournament that I'm going to compete. But for me it's not an extra pressure and is not an obsession. I just keep going, doing it my way."
Rafael Nadal to compete at the Mexican Open following Australian Open triumph
Rafael Nadal has made a brilliant start to the 2022 season. After winning the Melbourne Summer Set in the lead up to the Australian Open, he went on to lift his 21st Grand Slam title at the Melbourne Major.
He remains undefeated this year and is on a 10-match winning streak. The Spaniard is now set to take some well-deserved time off after a grueling but successful campaign in Australia.
He will be back on tour at the Mexican Open, to be held from February 21-26. The 35-year-old won the ATP 500 event in 2020, but didn't defend his title in 2021.
SAY CHEESE, @RafaelNadal!
📸 @AustralianOpen https://t.co/GsijIERCXh
Along with the Spaniard, fellow top-10 players Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Matteo Berrettini are also set to participate in Mexico, making it a highly competitive field.
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