Rafael Nadal feels lucky to be a part of current tennis rivalries – Tennis News
The undisputed King of clay, Rafael Nadal, has said that his rivalries with the two legends of the sport, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, have benefited him.
The Spaniard shared that his current rivalries motivate him, as he always tries to improve his game in order to beat the reigning world number one, Djokovic; and 16-time Grand Slam champion, Federer.
Talking to the media during the pre tournament press conference, Nadal said, “For me, I feel very lucky to be part of these two rivalries. I think it is something that brings special motivation to the game, the motivation to keep
improving my tennis. If you are not able to improve your level, you are dead in this very competitive world of tennis.”
Nadal’s rivalry with Federer is considered to be one of the best the sport of tennis has ever seen but now fans and analysts think that his competition with the Serbian can overtake the one he has with the Swiss Maestro. The Spaniard
has a positive head to record against both of his arch rivals. The left-hander leads 18-10 against Federer and 19-14 with Djokovic.
Nadal led the Serbian 16-7 at the start of 2011 but the latter clinched victory in seven consecutive finals to reduce the deficit to 14-16, with the last one in the Australian Open title match. The Spaniard has taken almost half
of the revenge since then, as he has beaten Djokovic in three finals.
Currently ranked at the second position in the ATP Rankings behind Djokovic, Nadal defeated the Serbian in four sets in the final of the French Open to grab his record seventh title on the red clay of Roland Garros.
Before the French Open triumph, the Serbian had defeated Djokovic in the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters and Internazionali BNL d’Italia finals.
Despite being in top form, Nadal is not expecting to win the Wimbledon Championships title. The Spaniard, who is drawn to face Great Britain’s number one player, Andy Murray, in the semi-finals, shared that he is just thinking
of getting in the best position to win the opening match at this moment.
The Spaniard stated, “I'm very happy the way things went the last couple of months, since the beginning of the season this year. [But] thinking about winning another title here in Wimbledon is arrogant and crazy. That's something
I cannot think about. I can just think about tomorrow’s practice.”
Nadal will start his campaign against Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil at the Wimbledon Championships.
Tags: