Rafael Nadal had no problem settling into the second round of the Australian Open 2022. The 35-year-old Spanish tennis player and current number five in the world analyzed his victory over the American Marcos Girón. "It's been a great start, I think I played a good game, better than last week, and this is a day-to-day process.
I can't complain about anything, I served well, I did what I had to and now it's time to train hard tomorrow to be able to play even better in the second round. He would have signed with his eyes closed three weeks ago just being here, when he was lying shattered on the bed.
But he would also have signed him a month and a half ago, when he didn't know if he would play tennis again at a medium-high level", commented the winner of 20 Grand Slams. Nadal acknowledged that the pain in his foot is conditioning him at this point in his career: “The pain in the foot has not allowed me to train normally for a long time and this recovery is going to be difficult because I have been competing in very few events for two years.
And because I'm older. The foot got much worse as a result of the confinement. Being unemployed for 7 or 8 weeks was good for my knees, but fatal for my feet. This is an injury that has dragged on my entire career and that suffers especially with the cold, but it has allowed me to play without many limitations."
Nadal will face Yannick Hanfmann
Speaking to Spanish media, Rafael Nadal revealed that his happiness doesn't depend on whether he wins more Slams than arch-rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
The three rivals are currently level on 20 Majors each. "I don’t think my future happiness depends on whether I win one Grand Slam title more than Novak or Roger. So I will keep doing what I do, pushing myself to the maximum to keep enjoying my career.
And from there, what will be will be, and I’ll welcome it," Nadal said. In a press conference after his first-round win over Marcos Giron, Nadal revealed that he has always had a "good relationship" with Novak Djokovic.
He further claimed that "life is much better" if one maintains good relationships with everyone. "In my opinion, I believe the life is much better when you have a good relationship with everybody, especially in the locker room. That was like this during all my tennis career, with some very casual exceptions for some moments," Nadal stated.