“Every time I won, I was amazed,” Rafael Nadal admits he never saw himself winning more than 1 Grand Slam title

Rafael Nadal revealed how he never expected to win another Slam after he lifted the Roland Garros title in 2005, just days after his 19th birthday.

“Every time I won, I was amazed,” Rafael Nadal admits he never saw himself winning more than 1 Grand Slam title

Rafael Nadal with the US Open title. (credits: Wall Street Journal)

22-time Grand Slam title winner Rafael Nadal has gifted a lot to the tennis industry, with countless memories on the court and amazing performances in the grandest stages of tennis. 

But in a recent interview with the media team of Eurosport, Nadal revealed how he never had any such expectations from himself. He shared the fact that he never dreamed of winning more than one Grand Slam title. 

YouTube video

Nadal talked about his dream as a child of holding a Grand Slam title at least once in his career. But after he lifted the Roland Garros title in 2005, just days after his 19th birthday, he felt that he was never going to win another one. 

FS Video

He further revealed that every time he won a Grand Slam title, it reminded him of the fact that the title was going to be the last one and that he could now relax.

When I was a kid, I never said to myself 'I want to win a Grand Slam, I want to win Grand Slams, I want to be the best'. I was thinking about the tournament of the next week.
He said
And when I won my first Grand Slam, I thought it was going to be the only one I'd win. And then, every time, I won a Grand Slam. I was amazed, I thought, now I can really relax. It'll probably be my last one. Now I've achieved something and that's already huge.
He further added

List of all the Grand Slam titles won by Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal came into providence in the history of the sport after his impressive 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 7-5 win over Mariano Puerta in the 2005 French Open final.

And since then, it has been a help to the Spaniard, playing in a total of 30 Grand Slam title finals and winning 22 of them. His last win at the Grand Slam came at the US Open last year, when he beat young Casper Ruud in straight sets.

Rafael Nadal in action during a match. (credits: CN Traveler)

Nadal’s Grand Slam tally:

No. of Grand SlamsYearTournamentWinnerRunners-up
222022French OpenRafael NadalCasper Ruud
212022Australian OpenRafael NadalDaniil Medvedev
202020French OpenRafael NadalNovak Djokovic
192019US OpenRafael NadalDaniil Medvedev
182019French OpenRafael NadalDominic Thiem
172018French OpenRafael NadalDominic Thiem
162017US OpenRafael NadalKevin Anderson
152017French OpenRafael NadalStan Wawrinka
142014French OpenRafael NadalNovak Djokovic
132013US OpenRafael NadalNovak Djokovic
122013French OpenRafael NadalDavid Ferrer
112012French OpenRafael NadalNovak Djokovic
102011French OpenRafael NadalRoger Federer
92010US OpenRafael NadalNovak Djokovic
82010WimbledonRafael NadalTomas Berdych
72010French OpenRafael NadalRobin Soderling
62009Australian OpenRafael NadalRoger Federer
52008WimbledonRafael NadalRoger Federer
42008French OpenRafael NadalRoger Federer
32007French OpenRafael NadalRoger Federer
22006French OpenRafael NadalRoger Federer
12005French OpenRafael NadalMariano Puerta

Now, with time against him, it will be difficult for the 37-year-old to lift yet another Slam before he bids the sport a final goodbye. 

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