Nadal: Slam No.11 as special as any other

Originally published on: 13/06/12 00:00

The world No.2 won his seventh French Open and his 11th Grand Slam title at Roland Garros on Monday and said it has been as special as any of his other triumphs.

“There was a lot of emotion,” Nadal said. “There always is in such moments. You don't know if you will ever win another victory.  You don't know if this year is going to be the last one. I achieved it this year, but as time goes by, you give more value to those very precious moments.

“Look at what happened last year, for instance. I lost three Grand Slam finals in a row. You think that you're about to win, as I did at the US Open, and I didn't. In Australia I was pleased with the tennis I played, yet I was a bit disappointed as well because I had the opportunity of winning. I have four opportunities in a year, and you can't expect to play your best tennis all the time.  And to win a Grand Slam, you have to play your best tennis.

“There are very few opportunities, so you have to make the most.  If I had lost a fourth final, this would have been very difficult for me. So I felt it really was worth it giving my best, given everything I have achieved since the beginning of the season or even since the beginning of my career.”

Nadal insists that he is motivated by a desire to improve every day rather than by any ambition to create records. “What you do daily is the most important thing,” he said. “For me, a seventh Roland Garros win is not more important than No 2, No 3, or No 4.  What really is important is what it brings me personally.”

Now get the WORLD’S BEST TENNIS MAGAZINE here