In the buildup to Rafael Nadal’s French Open quarter-final clash with Novak Djokovic last Tuesday, some doubt surrounded Nadal ahead of his greatest challenge. He was not in particularly good form, barely surviving Félix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round. He was playing catch up after his recent rib stress fracture and competing after his chronic foot ailment flared up. The match was scheduled at night where his heavy topspin could be neutered in cold, slow conditions.
The outcome of that match and everything that followed, with Nadal rising to win his 14th French Open title and 22nd grand slam title, further underlines what he has shown for long. No matter his age, his own preparations, nor the revelation that he played a two-week tournament with part of his foot under anaesthetic, Nadal’s dominance at Roland Garros transcends all.
At the end of last season, when Djokovic stood one match from winning his fourth grand slam of the year at the US Open, he had optimally positioned himself to break the three-way tie of 20 majors and establish himself as the men’s all-time leader. Instead, Nadal has now created a clear buffer between himself and his rivals, and he is halfway to the single-season grand slam.
This would be a significant talking point if not for how Nadal has continually played it down. When he was trailing Roger Federer, he used the same analogy dozens of times. “You can’t be frustrated all the time because the neighbour has a bigger house than you,” he said three years ago.
To his credit Nadal has been consistent, even now that his own grand slam haul is greater than that of those neighbours. He now says that these debates are not that important as he, Djokovic and Federer each achieved things beyond their wildest dreams and reached a “very equal” level. His daily motivation comes from elsewhere.
“It’s about how much you enjoy doing what you are doing or if you don’t enjoy, then that’s another story, no?” he said. “But if you like what you are doing, you keep going. Because, for example, if you like to go and play golf, you keep going to play golf. If I like to play tennis and if I can keep playing, I keep playing because I like what I do. So that’s it.”
In Spanish, Nadal expanded on that sentiment: “I’ve said it a million times but it doesn’t tire me to say it. The best satisfaction is always the personal, more than a medal or anything else. To know that you strive to achieve your objectives. At times you succeed, at times no. But you have the inner peace to return at home with the certainty that you have tried everything.”
Despite the joy that Nadal is playing with, enjoying an unexpected “golden” moment so deep into his career, it is simultaneously filled with uncertainty. This contrast was particularly striking at his press conference, where he sat with the La Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy beside him after one of the great triumphs of his career, yet for 40 minutes across two languages he mostly explained, in as expansive detail as he has ever discussed an injury, why he is so uncertain about his future due to the Müller-Weiss syndrome he suffers from in his foot.
Even Nadal has a limit to the pain that he is willing to put himself through in pursuit of success and he is therefore not prepared to block the nerves in his foot again in order to numb the pain. He now searches for a solution, starting with the radiofrequency ablation he will attempt in the coming weeks and then major surgery he says he must consider if that fails. In an interview with the Onda Cero show Radioestadio in Spanish, he was clear: “It may still be my last Roland Garros, but I’m going to do everything possible to move forward.”
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The foundation of Nadal’s success for so long has been his attitude; his acceptance of each circumstance, the optimism and composure with which he tackles adversity and the perspective he has maintained under pressure. At 36 years old, it takes a different role. It will both guide him as he attempts to extend his career for as long as possible, but also when recognising that he has reached his limits.
“My clear position is always that life prevails,” he said. “Of course my tennis career has been a priority all my life but it has never have been a priority over my happiness.”
