Spoiler:
'Every time I win, I think it could be the last time I do it.' With the usual humility that has characterized his life and career, despite his 71 titles, including the last two in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, Rafael Nadal prefers to live day-by-day with his feet on the ground. Rafa enjoys every success as much as possible: 'Every win is unique. I remember all the wins that I got. The logic thing is that every time there are less and less chances to win more titles, but it doesn't mean that all my trophies weren't meaningful', said Rafa according to Punto de Break.
In a few days he will only think about his next tournament, the Madrid Masters, that he won four times. 'I am heading well to Madrid. This is clear, but also last year it was the same and then I hurt my wrist. You have to think with tranquility and humility, knowing that things are going well but that can change quickly. This is the sport.'
But before focusing on Madrid, there will be only one sentence in his mind: take a rest. 'Now I will disappear,' said Nadal, who played ten matches in 11 days between Monte Carlo and Barcelona. 'I will go to the sea which is one of my passions. I will not touch the ground. I will be calm and enjoy the moment.' Nadal, who earned 3,735 points this year, admitted how 'despite I am not 100% sure of if, I almost qualified for the Masters which is always a very important goal. As for the rankings, the short-term goal is to pass Roger Federer and become world no. 4: 'I know what I have to do, it means winning one of the next two events.'
He also commented on Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic's bad 2017 season so far. Rafa thinks 'they will be at their best level again. If they are world no. 1 and 2, there is a reason. If it won't happen in the next events, it will be in the following ones, and if it won't be like this, it will happen after. They will be back more soon than later, unfortunately for me.'
But seeing how he played in these first four months, Rafa can't be afraid of anyone. 'Did I come back? I didn't go to China or anywhere else. I was here, simply things didn't went so well. I didn't come back and I didn't leave. I am happy of my two titles won, and after two very good weeks now I work to be in the best condition heading in Madrid, Rome and Paris. I am doing well and my goal is that my level keeps being high. I would like to fight to win Roland Garros, it can happen anything. However, winning in Monte Carlo and Barcelona are more than enough at the moment for me.'
Rafa finally spoke about an hot topic like the ATP Points distribution. By 2019 the ATP Calendar and the tournament categories will change, in what could be the year of revolution for tennis. Indian Wells and Shanghai aim to be Masters 1500, but also other tournaments can upgrade their status. For example at the beginning of the year ATP 250 Doha and Brisbane have several top ten players in the field, which are at a higher level than Budapest, that last week had world no. 14 Lucas Pouille as the top seeded player. Or what about ATP 500 Hamburg, that in 2016 didn't have any top-20 player in the field, and in 2015 had only Nadal as a top-20 player? That's what the Spaniard said: 'I think it's fundamental to change the distribution of ATP Points. I don't think that this system, 1000, 500, 250, works. It's a too strict system, closed. Tournaments should be able to change their category if they want and are ready to do it. A tournament without a top ten player cannot be the same than a tournament with at least a top player. Doha, that has a one million dollar prize money, cannot be of the same level of an event that has $500,000 prize money.'
He also spoke about what it means for him to win ten times in Barcelona: 'It's difficult to explain and describe, it's something I did thanks to many years of hard work. I hope that someone can equal or pass me but that player will need to work hard and be lucky,' said Nadal, who remains with feet on the grounds. 'In my career it has been important not to give too much importance to the win or the loss neither, but taking it normally.'
In a few days he will only think about his next tournament, the Madrid Masters, that he won four times. 'I am heading well to Madrid. This is clear, but also last year it was the same and then I hurt my wrist. You have to think with tranquility and humility, knowing that things are going well but that can change quickly. This is the sport.'
But before focusing on Madrid, there will be only one sentence in his mind: take a rest. 'Now I will disappear,' said Nadal, who played ten matches in 11 days between Monte Carlo and Barcelona. 'I will go to the sea which is one of my passions. I will not touch the ground. I will be calm and enjoy the moment.' Nadal, who earned 3,735 points this year, admitted how 'despite I am not 100% sure of if, I almost qualified for the Masters which is always a very important goal. As for the rankings, the short-term goal is to pass Roger Federer and become world no. 4: 'I know what I have to do, it means winning one of the next two events.'
He also commented on Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic's bad 2017 season so far. Rafa thinks 'they will be at their best level again. If they are world no. 1 and 2, there is a reason. If it won't happen in the next events, it will be in the following ones, and if it won't be like this, it will happen after. They will be back more soon than later, unfortunately for me.'
But seeing how he played in these first four months, Rafa can't be afraid of anyone. 'Did I come back? I didn't go to China or anywhere else. I was here, simply things didn't went so well. I didn't come back and I didn't leave. I am happy of my two titles won, and after two very good weeks now I work to be in the best condition heading in Madrid, Rome and Paris. I am doing well and my goal is that my level keeps being high. I would like to fight to win Roland Garros, it can happen anything. However, winning in Monte Carlo and Barcelona are more than enough at the moment for me.'
Rafa finally spoke about an hot topic like the ATP Points distribution. By 2019 the ATP Calendar and the tournament categories will change, in what could be the year of revolution for tennis. Indian Wells and Shanghai aim to be Masters 1500, but also other tournaments can upgrade their status. For example at the beginning of the year ATP 250 Doha and Brisbane have several top ten players in the field, which are at a higher level than Budapest, that last week had world no. 14 Lucas Pouille as the top seeded player. Or what about ATP 500 Hamburg, that in 2016 didn't have any top-20 player in the field, and in 2015 had only Nadal as a top-20 player? That's what the Spaniard said: 'I think it's fundamental to change the distribution of ATP Points. I don't think that this system, 1000, 500, 250, works. It's a too strict system, closed. Tournaments should be able to change their category if they want and are ready to do it. A tournament without a top ten player cannot be the same than a tournament with at least a top player. Doha, that has a one million dollar prize money, cannot be of the same level of an event that has $500,000 prize money.'
He also spoke about what it means for him to win ten times in Barcelona: 'It's difficult to explain and describe, it's something I did thanks to many years of hard work. I hope that someone can equal or pass me but that player will need to work hard and be lucky,' said Nadal, who remains with feet on the grounds. 'In my career it has been important not to give too much importance to the win or the loss neither, but taking it normally.'
