Rafael Nadal has been quite humble throughout his career, opting to stay away from the spotlight and work until he was forced into the spotlight.
When the Spanish player finally set foot on the biggest stage in tennis, he usually dominated his opponents. The dominance was most crushing at Roland Garros, where he recently lifted his 14th trophy.
Winning 14 titles at one event seems impossible, let alone a Grand Slam tournament. Still, Nadal remains were humble about his record, as he thinks it's possible to beat it.
"It may seem like it, but it’s not impossible. Is it very difficult? Yes. I’m realistic about how difficult that is, of the circumstances that have to occur for it to happen. If I’ve done it, I suppose another person could do it. It will be difficult, that is obvious."
Nadal also notices the evolution on the tennis courts. He knows that to win the French Open two decades ago, different weapons were needed than those needed to win it in 2022.
"Everything changes in this life. We have to adapt to things. Before, a much more classical tennis was played on clay courts, like that of Casper [Ruud]. Nowadays, there are fewer players doing that, including myself. In general, things evolve."
Nadal was also asked about potentially completing the Calendar Grand Slam, which would be an incredible achievement, since he won only his second Australian Open trophy this year.
"Yes, it’s crazy, even if I was in perfect shape I think. Nobody has done it since Rod Laver. Djokovic came closest last year. More than winning the Grand Slam, I would be content to play in all four."
As one of the best three players in the history of the sport, Nadal always faces one question. Who will end with the most Grand Slam titles ever. According to the Spaniard, his rival Novak Djokovic has a very good chance to do so.
"Anything can happen. Clearly Novak is in the best position to be able to beat that because he has no physical problems, and he’s playing at a spectacular level."
"Federer has been out for a long time and you can always expect something special from him, but we all know how difficult it is to come back, even more so at 40. We’ll see what happens."