‘Winning more titles NOT an obsession,’ famous journalist shares old interview with Rafael Nadal after miraculous Australian Open win
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Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal spectacularly became the first person to win 21 Grand Slams after his Australian Open 2022 win. The Spaniard, who was two sets down, showed amazing resilience and mental strength to overcome an impressive Daniil Medvedev in a marathon final lasting almost five and a half hours.
The 34-year-old legend had to chase the game for the whole duration until the very last moment, as Medvedev had the upper hand for most of the content but couldn’t capitalize on it. The result was Rafael Nadal winning just his second Australian Open title, with the first coming way back in 2009.
Amanpour recalls Nadal’s words from last year after his Australian Open win
Despite him now being celebrated as the GOAT in the world of tennis now, things were not always very rosy for Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard’s victory looks even more surprising and inspirational when you look at the events preceding the title win. The Spaniard had to end his season early last year after being diagnosed with degenerative bone disease, which had led to speculations of him even having to end his career altogether. However, the 34-year-old made an almost miraculous comeback at the start of this year, only to test positive for Covid-19, throwing his Australian Open 2022 participation in doubt. However, the Spaniard yet again made a miraculous comeback to not only participate in but to win the whole thing.
As many celebrities across the world, including rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, congratulated him on achieving the feat, famous journalist Christiane Amanpour posted a video of an old interview with Rafa on her Twitter. In the interview, which was taken during last year’s lockdown, Nadal is seen reflecting on his possibilities of competing in another Grand Slam after being diagnosed with a potential career-ending disease.
In the video, Nadal sheds light on his elite mindset, stating that though it would be nice to compete for more Grand Slams and win another one, he is thankful for the long and illustrious career he has enjoyed. He also revealed that though ending up as the player with the Grand Slams would undoubtedly be an achievement, it was not an obsession, and a failure to achieve that would not leave him with regrets.
“ I did much more than I ever thought in my tennis career..it would be amazing for me to win one more and at the end of my career to be the player with most grand slams, but you know what…that will not be the key for my happiness in the future…it’s just about trying every single day or in every tournament I’m gonna compete, but for me it’s not an extra pressure or obsession. I just keep going, doing my way.”– said Rafa in the interview.
Amanpour, who is a renowned British-Iranian journalist who is the Chief International Anchor for CNN, uploaded the clip on her Twitter on Tuesday with the caption “@RafaelNadal’s record-breaking Australian Open victory was extraordinary. But he told me last year that to win a 21st Grand Slam would be “amazing… but you know what? I know that will not be the key for my happiness in the future.”
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Akash Mandal
(433 Articles Published)