"I don't care if I'm GOAT" - Nadal after winning 14th Roland Garros title
ATP
Rafael Nadal is a competitive person, but that doesn't mean he cares about the "GOAT" status, as he revealed after his 2022 Roland Garros victory.
Nadal sensationally won the French Open this year. While he has won the tournament 13 times before, this triumph was special because he did it while struggling with a foot pain.
By winning the title in Paris, the Spaniard extended his lead over his rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer when it comes to the number of Grand Slam titles won.
Nadal spoke about his feelings after winning his 14th Roland Garros title and also the "GOAT status" in a recent interview with Amanpour & Co.
Recently, Nick Kyrgios claimed that Nadal is "the best out of the Big Three" because of having two more Grand Slam titles than his main rivals, Djokovic and Federer. However, the Spaniard sees it differently.
"I honestly don't think much about that. And from the bottom of my heart, I really don't care that much. I think it doesn't matter. I think we achieved our dreams, I achieved my dreams and I enjoy what I'm doing."
"I understand the question and I know the press and people are always caring a lot about this stuff but in some way I know I'm in the important part of the history of the sport and that makes me feel proud and happy."
One of the reasons why Nadal doesn't care so much about the "GOAT" debate is his health. The Spaniard admitted that he's been struggling with injuries for some time now, which is why he's happy if he can still compete.
"Last couple of years have been very difficult. After pandemic, something happened in my foot and I'm not able to manage the pain to play often and even practice."
"In the past, I had a lot of things, starting from the foot in 2005, and also knees have been a big issue for me and a couple of times I broke my wrists."
"Going through all these challenges, I always hold the passion to keep going and I always keep the love for the game and I always wanted to keep going and that's probably why I'm in the position that I'm today."
