Australian Open 2022: Nadal focused on enjoying his tennis, not Grand Slam record
Rafael Nadal survived a five-set scare against Canada's Denis Shapovalov at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday to reach his seventh semi-finals at Melbourne Park.
Published : Jan 25, 2022 17:24 IST
Rafa Nadal said there would be no regrets if he failed to claim another Grand Slam title after moving within two wins of a record 21st at the Australian Open.
The Spanish great survived a five-set scare against Canada's Denis Shapovalov at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday to reach his seventh semi-finals at Melbourne Park.
With Novak Djokovic deported before the tournament and Roger Federer recovering from knee surgery, Nadal has a chance to grab the all-time record outright at Melbourne Park but he said it would not matter to him if he missed out.
"I don't hope (for) anything. I just keep going," he told reporters.
"In terms of what can happen in the future, honestly I really don't care that much.
"I'm not going to be frustrated if Novak or Roger finishes the career with more Grand Slams than me, no?
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"I mean, let's enjoy the situation that we did, every one of us, we did very special things in our sport."
From being worried his career was in jeopardy a couple of months ago as he struggled to recover from a foot problem, Nadal will contest his 36th Grand Slam semi-final on Friday.
Having the extra day's break will be a huge blessing for the 35-year-old after his four-hour slog in the heat against 14th seed Shapovalov.
With 22-year-old Shapovalov roaring back from two sets down to take the match into a fifth, Nadal said it was a "little bit of a miracle" that he managed to outlast the Canadian.
"I was destroyed, honestly, physically," said Nadal, who took a medical timeout off court after Shapovalov took the fourth set.
"But my serve worked well, and for me, every game that I was winning with my serve was a victory.
"Of course in the beginning of the fifth set ... I was very worried.
"But more than (that), I thought (it was) going to be super difficult to win that match.
"But here I am ... it's an amazing news, no?"