Nadal: You Have to Be Happy with Yourself

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Nadal: You Have to Be Happy with Yourself

Rafael Nadal is into his 27th career major final and on Sunday in New York he will bid to move just one shy of Roger Federer on the all-time Grand Slam titles list with 19. But the Spaniard knows he has a tough task ahead of him as he prepares to face Russia’s Daniil Medvedev for the second time this summer. Nadal dropped just three games against Medvedev in the Montreal final on a windy day, but he knows he’ll have to be ready to face the rising Russian.

“I need to be playing at my best,” Nadal said. “I think at the end of the match I increased my level again today. I need to hold this level if I want to have chances on Sunday. If not, is so difficult. He is very, very solid.”

One thing is certain: Nadal will not be worried about chasing Roger Federer on the all-time major titles list. If it happens, great. If not, that’s the sport.

“When I arrived here, my goal was to produce a chance to compete for the big thing again,” Nadal said. “Here I am.?” Nadal, has reached three Grand Slam finals this year and made it to at least the last four of every major. As long as he keeps giving himself chances to win titles, he’ll be fine.

“I give myself another chance, as I did in Wimbledon, as I did in Australia, as I did in Roland Garros,” Nadal said. “That's the personal satisfaction. That's the personal happiness. You win, you lose. That's part of all the sport. Of course, I would love to be the one who achieve more Grand Slams, but I still sleep very well without being the one who have more Grand Slams.”

Nadal will also bid to tie John McEnroe for fourth on the all-time US Open Open era title list with four. If he gets it, he’ll be one behind the Open Era record of five, which is shared by Roger Federer, Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors.

Not bad for a clay specialist, no?

“I am happy about my career,” Nadal said. “I am very happy about what I'm doing. I'm going to keep working hard to try to produce chances. Sunday is one. It's just one more chance, that's all. My opponents going to keep playing. If I able to win on Sunday, okay, will be amazing. If I lose, I hope to keep having chances in the future to add things.

“But as I always say to you, and is true: I would love to be the one to have more [major titles than any other player], yes, but you cannot be all day frustrated or all day thinking about what your neighbor has better than you. You have to be happy with yourself. You have to do your way. If you are the one to achieve more, fantastic. If not, at least I give my best during all my career. That's all.”

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