AO 2021: I have never been obsessed to try to be the best – Rafael Nadal

Tennis legend Rafael Nadal is one of the best players the game has ever seen. Nadal has 20 slam titles under his belt and he is one of the best players of the Open era. The Spaniard has time and again proved his mettle and he is still going strong at the age of 34 years.

Meanwhile, Nadal has revealed that he has never been obsessed to try to be the best. The talisman stated that he sets small goals for himself and he tries to achieve them. Nadal is well known for his never say never attitude and he hardly throws in the towel on the court.

On the other hand, Rafael Nadal cruised to the quarterfinal of the ongoing Australian Open despite the back issues. The 34-year old defeated Italian Fabio Fognini in straight sets by 6-3, 6-4, and 6-2 at the Rod Laver Arena on Monday. Thus, he has reached his 43rd Grand slam quarter-final.

“I like tennis and I like what I’m doing. That’s the main thing. Of course, I am very motivated to win Grand Slams and to play in the most important events in the year. No doubt about that,” Nadal said in his post-match interaction. 

“The only thing I said is that I have never been obsessed to try to be the best. I just did my way and that worked for me,” Nadal added.

Nadal added that having too many ambitions can leave one frustrated if he fails to achieve them. Hence, he likes to keep things simple and take one step at a time.

“I think ambition is important to have, but a healthy ambition. When you have too much ambition, you can be frustrated when you are not able to achieve all the things you wanted. I never approached the sport and my career that way,” Nadal explained. 

Nadal will next face Greece talented player Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-final of the Australian Open on Wednesday.