Just three wins separates Rafael Nadal from reclaiming the world No.1 position for the first time since 2014.
The top seed in this week’s Roger’s Cup, Nadal is required to reach the semifinals in order to dethrone Andy Murray from the top. It is a fairytale scenario for the Spaniard’s camp, which has been dogged by injury over the past couple of years. In 2016, he was forced to withdraw from the French Open for the first time in his career. Now pain-free, Nadal is keeping composed about potentially rising to world No.1 once again.
“I don’t even think about that now. I’m trying to have the right preparation now and that’s it,” Nadal told reporters on Sunday. “I’m going to keep trying to play the way I did in the first part of the season, so if I’m able to make that happen, I hope to have a chance to do well.”
Nadal has won more points on the tour this season than any other player, leading the ATP race to London by 550 points. Within the first half of 2017 he has claimed four titles on the clay, including a record tenth at Roland Garros.
A @RafaelNadal selfie with the fans on Milk Family Weekend! #CoupeRogers pic.twitter.com/LmHk1WWjt9
— Coupe Rogers (@CoupeRogers) 4 August 2017
Seeking his first title on a hard court since the 2014 Doha Open, Nadal is a three-time champion at the Rogers Cup. His first triumph was 12 years ago when he defeated Andre Agassi in three sets. Since then, the Spaniard has been fortunate enough to engage in rivalries with some of the sport’s biggest names.
“Early in my career there was Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, a lot of good players. Roger Federer was there, and Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray came a little later. That was a long time ago already, too,” he reminisced. “The only difference is that we’re older. In the past year-and-a-half, there’s been a good new generation that increased the number of top players, but that’s sport in general.”
Nadal’s passion for the sport is one reason for his longevity. At the age of 31, he has already spent a total of 141 weeks at world No.1 and has won 73 titles on the ATP Tour. He has also won more trophies on the clay than any other player on the men’s tour to underline his title as ‘the king of clay.’
“We love what we are doing. We have the passion to compete and play tennis, so that helps us to be professional and do the right things on and off the court. If you are healthy, it’s much easier to keep playing longer,” said Nadal. “The mental aspect isn’t difficult if you love the sport. We’re privileged to work for a living at one of our hobbies.”
Rafael Nadal practice on Aug 6 2017 #CoupeRogers pic.twitter.com/MC9vNJfHba
— moruni (@morunien) 7 August 2017
With the age of players gradually increasing, retirement talk is the last thing on Nadal’s mind. The number one ranking might be agonisingly close, but that isn’t what the 31-year-old is maintaining his focus on. His goal is his love the sport. Once that goes, he has vowed to walk away from tennis.
“If I’m healthy, if I’m able to compete well, I’m happy. What I’m doing really makes me happy. I’m here, I’m still playing.” He explained.
“If one day I come here and I’m not happy doing what I’m doing now, I’m going to go back home and do something else. It’s easy. I love this sport, I feel lucky to have the chance, at 31 years old, to still do what I’m doing and still have the chance to keep having success. So I’m just having fun every week and this week I’ll try my best again in Montréal.”
The three-time champion will start his title bid on Wednesday against either Borna Coric or Mikhail Youzhny.