Even though Rafael Nadal is a 22-time Grand Slam champion and does not take his victories for granted, most regular winners, including himself, have experienced similar emotions at some point throughout their careers.
In a recent interview, Nadal acknowledged that there have been moments in which he believed winning was inevitable and that it had even come to seem like a draw.
He feels that sports should be driven by love and madness rather than any kind of everyday work. Nadal claims that it was an unpleasant feeling when people used to anticipate him winning the Roland Garros as if it were any other day at work.
Nadal expressed his thoughts in a recent interview and said: “There has been a moment in my career when winning has been a draw, and that feeling is ugly: it is taken for granted that you have to win. Suddenly, winning Monte Carlo is what you have to do. Not good. That makes you a worker who has to deliver. And suddenly it seems that winning Roland Garros is completing your work day.”
He added: “I have not usually let that happen; it has rarely happened to me and, when it has, I have met with my people and told them, Let’s analyze this and get rid of this thought. Because sports cannot be a job where you go to fulfil the record. There has to be illusion, madness, and flame.”
Rafa Nadal says it was an ugly feeling when people used to expect him to win Roland Garros as if it’s a normal work day:
"There was a moment in my career when winning was a draw, & that feeling is ugly. It is taken for granted that you have to win. Suddenly, winning Monte Carlo… pic.twitter.com/WJ1r3NIsO0
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 6, 2024
Rafael Nadal in 2024
Currently the world no.672, the Spaniard played his last match on the 5th of January when he capitulated to world no.55 Jordan Thompson 5-7 7-6(6) 6-3 in the quarter in Brisbane (draw).
At present, during this year Rafael has a 2-1 match record.
