New Delhi , December 10 : Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal has cast his doubts of winning another Grand Slam . The Spaniard suffered one of the worst years of his career in which he failed to win a single major and dropped to a career-low No. 10 in the rankings .
“I don’t know when that will happen and I don’t know if that’s going to happen,” Nadal, who is in the Capital to play in the second edition of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), said when asked whether he thinks he can win another major.
Even though he had a disappointing year ,the 29-year-old felt that a good showing in the ATP World Tour Finals in London, where he lost to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semifinal, has renewed his confidence.
“I think that I improved a lot in the last tournament. That’s the way I’m going to keep working hard to try and continue with that level of the game,” the 14-time Grand Slam champions said.
The Spaniard who was tipped to break Roger Federer’s record of 17 Grand Slam titles not so long ago ,isn’t sure about No. 15, let alone 17.
“The only thing I know is that I’m working very hard to try to get the opportunities. This year has not been the best season possible. The last three months I think it was much better. I’m happy with the way I’m playing now. I need to keep going. I want to keep going the same way that I finished the 2015 season,” Nadal said.
He held a coaching clinic for about 30 minutes, playing some shots with the Mahesh Bhupathi’s tennis academy kids and sharing tips on how to achieve success. “How can one become the next Rafa?” one enthusiast kid asked him. “You need to have the right set of people around you,” pat came the reply from Nadal.
“The only thing I can advice is that try to have right people around you who know about the sport, who really support you and try to help you reach your best level. Practice every day with motivation and passion,” Nadal later told reporters.
On his partnership with MBTA, Nadal said that talented kids from India will be scouted and trained in his hometown of Mancor in Spain. Nadal already runs an academy in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh.
“India is close to my heart. A wing of my federation works here in Anantapur. I am happy to be here and a part of the IPTL. India have great potential in tennis,” he said.
And while Indian tennis fans will anxiously wait for the Nadal-Federer showdown on Saturday, the Spaniard himself is eager to resume the battle with his favourite rival.
“The IPTL is a fantastic event. I’m enjoying so much. The rivalry with Roger has been great for a lot of years and we are going to have another confrontation here in India. It will be a great scenario with a lot of fans. I’m delighted to be playing here against him,” he said.