Rafael Nadal mentioned “no-one is invincible” in an interview with AFP Thursday as he targets a 14th French Open title and record-setting 21st Grand Slam crown.
“No-one is invincible, anywhere,” mentioned Nadal whose profession document at Roland Garros stands at 100 victories towards simply two losses since his title-winning Paris debut in 2005.
“This 12 months I misplaced (early) in Monte Carlo and Madrid. I hope to not lose right here at Roland Garros. What I can do is combat.”
Victory in the final in Paris on June 13 will take Nadal past the record of 20 majors he currently shares with Roger Federer.
Despite his remarkable history in Paris, Nadal, who turns 35 on June 3, admits he remains stunned at his longevity in a sport where he has been an ever-present in the world top 10 since 2005.
When asked if he could have imagined still playing at 35, he said: “Ten years ago, no. But if you had asked me the question two years ago, maybe I would have answered yes.
“Ten years ago, I had so many physical problems that it was difficult for me to imagine that my career would last so long,” added the Spaniard whose profession has been tormented by a sequence of knee accidents.
Nadal will begin this 12 months’s French Open because the overwhelming favorite as soon as once more, boosted by his current win over world quantity one Novak Djokovic within the Rome Masters remaining.
Of Nadal’s 88 profession titles, 62 have come on clay.
He has received a minimum of 10 occasions every at Roland Garros, Monte Carlo, Rome and Barcelona.
Between 2005 and 2007, he went on an 81-win streak on clay.
In his nice rivalry with Djokovic, which stands at 29-28 within the Serb’s favour, Nadal holds the higher hand on clay.
He has a 19-7 document on the floor towards the world quantity one and is 9-4 in finals.
Three of these championship match wins got here at Roland Garros in 2012, 2014 and 2020.
However, he’ll nonetheless be cautious of Djokovic, the 2016 champion in Paris.
The Serb handed Nadal one of his two losses on the French Open, in 2015, six years after Robin Soderling had been the primary man to realize the feat.
“Roland Garros is a really particular place for me,” said Nadal.
“Favourite or not, that is not the question. What matters is to play well, and the one who plays the best will be whoever has the most chances of winning the tournament.
“My goal is to be the one who plays the best.”
Read all of the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News right here
