At the end of a year where he has won two grand slam titles, Rafael Nadal received another prestigious accolade at a special AS Awards evening.
The sports awards gala was done to mark the 50th anniversary of as.com. A Spanish sporting newspaper with a reach of approximately 25 million users worldwide (including digital audience). Nadal was given the honour in recognition of his contribution to tennis. The Spaniard has won 75 ATP titles so far in his career, including 16 grand slam trophies. During this year’s French Open, he became the first player to win the same major for a tenth time.
“I only have words of thanks for this award, truthfully. It has been an extraordinary year and this award is particularly special because the monarchs will be attending the ceremony, where there will also be many Spanish athletes who deserve the award as well.” The world No.1 told AS.
Nadal received his award on Monday evening. It was presented by Felipe VI of Spain, the country’s King, at the City Hall in Madrid.
On the tour this year, Nadal has won a total of six titles. Making it his most successful season since 2013. He was also runner-up at four other tournaments, losing in the final to Roger Federer three times and Sam Querrey once. Overall, he managed to win 67 out of 78 matches played in 2017.
During an interview, the 31-year-old admitted that he was unsure of who he would have chosen to win the award. Instead, he pointed out achievements made by a variety of Spanish sportsman in numerous sports.
“There are so many people who have done amazing things in their sports and some for the first time. That has extra value. Severiano Ballesteros marked an era in golf, Miguel Indurain in cycling, Pau Gasol has two NBA rings, Fernando Alonso and his world titles, we’re doing very well in motorcycling.” He said.
Despite the honour, Nadal remains grounded when it comes to his achievements. Stressing that he would have not been able to achieve them if it wasn’t for the support he has received from others. Next year will see Nadal’s uncle Toni step aside for the first time. Allowing Carlos Moya and Francisco Roig to take full control.
“The people that have always been by my side have helped me. And I have had sufficient intelligence to know when to ask for advice. There are people that when they reach the top they only want to hear nice things. In my case, the people I have around me know they can say what they think.”
The future
With a growing trend of players playing later in their careers, Nadal still has time to break more records. One of those include Federer’s all-time record of 19 grand slam titles. Five years younger than his Swiss rival, the milestone is certainly achievable. Although Nadal’s insists that his priority is focusing on what is best for him.
“In life you have to be happy with what you do, and while that doesn’t mean I don’t want more, I don’t need to catch Federer. I’ll keep on fighting for what I can achieve.” He explained.
Looking ahead to the future, there is no retirement plan on the cards. Instead, the world No.1 is taking a wait and see attitude. Pledging to continue playing for as long as he enjoys the game.
“I don’t think about it because I’m not that methodical.” Nadal explained about retirement.
“If I’m still enjoying it, I’ll keep playing it. The day I wake up and that’s not the case, I’ll stop and do something else. At the moment I wake up with the enthusiasm to keep doing what I’ve always done.”
Later this month, Nadal will play in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship ahead of the 2018 season. An annual exhibition event held in Abu Dhabi, which also features Novak Djokovic.
