Rafa Nadal: "I no longer fight to be number one in the world"

MADRID, 1 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal made it clear once again that his goal is not "to be number one in the world" but that he focuses on "being competitive in each tournament" that he plays, such as the Masters 1,000 in Paris-Bercy, which is played in an 'indoor' surface that will be "more difficult" after another break of more than a month without competing.

"To be clear, I am not looking at number one, it is a goal that interests you, but I no longer strive for it, I have not in the past. I have achieved this goal several times during my career, which makes me proud, but As I say many times, I am at a stage in my career where I only struggle to be competitive in every tournament I play," Nadal told the media on Tuesday before his debut at the Paris tournament.

The man from Manacor was "proud" of his positive 2022, in which he has achieved "many good things" both on a sporting and personal level. "Maintaining the passion, the love for the game and the fighting spirit every day and in every training session is a source of pride. I hope to have as much fun in the last two tournaments of the season," he wished.

The Balearic is "happy" with his return to the circuit after another break in his season and that has prevented him from playing in the last five weeks since his last match was the double with the Swiss Roger Federer in the Laver Cup and the last at the level individual, the round of 16 of the US Open against the American Francis Tiafoe. In addition, in this case he returns "with a different approach than usual" having recently become a father.

"You leave your son at home and without being able to see him after two or three weeks, when we still barely know each other, and you already miss him, it's a new experience, but all changes are difficult in life, although now we are lucky to that with technology you can make video calls and it's something that helps a lot," he confessed.

Now, he does not know how he will react "in competition" after another time stopped. "It's easy to know how you might feel after several tournaments in a row, but when you come back after a long period without competing, it's hard to know how you're going to behave and how your body is going to respond," she said.

"The level of the circuit is different from the amount of training that I can accumulate at home. It is true that this year has been incredible in terms of results, but at the same time it has been tough in terms of injuries. I am happy to be here to give the best of me and accept things as they come," added the number two in the world.

Nadal faces a Masters 1,000 that has not been too good for him and on a surface where he usually suffers. "If I don't play well, it's difficult, if not impossible, especially on this type of surface, because you have to be confident, aggressive or serve well. Playing on this type of surface after a long break is the hardest thing for me, but I have improved my tennis a lot on these surfaces in recent years, so why not play well?