Nadal: “I don’t fight to be number one”
Currently ranked number two in the world, tennis star Rafael Nadal says that being number one is no longer his goal as it once was.
As you get older, goals change. That’s the case even for tennis star Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard is currently ranked no. 2 in the world, behind Carlos Alcarez, and will return to the court at the Paris Masters after taking two months off. Nadal now says the goal is no longer to be no. 1.
“I don’t fight to be number one. I just fight to keep being competitive in every event that I play,” said Nadal.
Nadal’s two-month hiatus came after suffering an abdominal tear at Wimbledon and losing in the fourth round of the US Open. As he makes his comeback in Paris-Bercy, Nadal said he’s unsure how good his form is at the moment since he has played just one match in a doubles with Roger Federer at the Laver Cup in September.
Nadal is a 22-time Grand Slam champion, winner of 92 ATP singles titles, and has been ranked world No. 1 for 209 weeks of his career, finishing as the year-end No. 1 on five different occasions.
“I achieved that goal a couple of times in my career and I have been very, very happy and proud about achieving that,” said Nadal. “But I am in a moment of my tennis career that I don’t fight to be No. 1.”
Nadal will playa against either fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista or American Tommy Paul in Paris, where he’s won a record of 14 French Open titles.