Sixteen years after his Australian Open debut, Rafael Nadal is grateful for glorious Grand Slam opportunity.
The US Open champion is aiming for his 20th Grand Slam title in Melbourne to match rival Roger Federer's all-time mark.
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The 33-year-old Spaniard capped 2019 making history as the ATP's oldest year-end No. 1.
It was an especially satisfying achievement for Nadal, who has heard critics question whether his cranky knees and fierce, physical style of play would burn his body out by age 30.
So what's the secret to Nadal's staying power?
The king of clay says the secret is there is no secret: passion, perseverance and perpetually-positive atttitude are the primary reasons for his longevity.
"Well, I can't say I have been lucky with injuries, because I have not," Nadal said. "But, well, there is no secret, no? There is only about passion, about love for the game, and about be able to stay positive in the tough moments.
"Is true that I went through some tough situations during all my career. But I was able to always, with probably the positive attitude and with the right people around, that they were a key, I was able to find a way to keep going, no?"
In fact, as far back as 2013 when Nadal returned from an injury-induced seven-month sabbatical from the sport and fell to 73rd-ranked Horacio Zeballos in the Viña del Mar final some speculated the Spaniard's days as an elite champion were numbered.
The 19-time Grand Slam champion has silenced the skeptics and surprised himself with his staying power.
"Yeah, something that difficult to imagine for me because for my style of game, as a lot of people said, my career should be little bit shorter," Nadal said. "But here we are. Happy for that. Even for me is a big surprise to be where I am at my age. So happy for everything. Just enjoying the situation."
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