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Rafael Nadal left everyone speechless at the start of the season. Fresh from a long stop due to injury and arrived in Melbourne without great expectations, the Spanish champion has once again shown that he is one of the greatest athletes of all time.
In a tournament that had often been hostile to him in the past, the former world number 1 broke the bank by winning his 21st career major. Thanks to that triumph, the 35-year-old from Manacor overtook Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the all-time Grand Slam standings.
The Iberian won their first 20 games in 2022, a streak that ended against Taylor Fritz in the Indian Wells final. Due to a stress fracture in a rib, Rafa had to miss the first appointments on clay and the pain in his foot was felt again during the Masters 1000 in Rome.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion will not show up at Roland Garros in the best conditions. During a lengthy interview with VICE magazine, Nadal illustrated the advantages of living on an island.
Rafa Nadal is a tennis legend
"My family is so important to me that I don't want to live anywhere else.
That's the truth," Rafael Nadal said. "When I think of home, the words that come to my mind are peace, family, and getting away from the stress of competition." The former World No. 1 further added that he enjoyed the idea of living on a relatively remote island away from the public eye since it gave him the opportunity to lead a "quiet" and "pleasant" life.
"Because in the end, being in a competition generates a lot of stress and when you get back home, those feelings disappear completely," Nadal said. "Living on an island allows me to have a quiet, pleasant life and to disconnect." Rafael Nadal is one of the best players ever to play the game of tennis.
The 35-year-old is one of the top three current-generation players. Along with the Serbian Novak Djokovic and Swiss legend Roger Federer. However, at the age of 35, his journey is also not so smooth. Speaking to the sports broadcasting channel Eurosports, the French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said that she is hopeful of Nadal playing this year’s Roland Garros.
As he is a legend of the game and has been most successful in this tournament. People are always excited to witness him play in Paris. “Of course, there’s a concern for him first because we know how important coming to Roland-Garros is to him and it’s probably shaped all of that, all of his legends, in a way”. She said.