Fresh from winning his second US Open title and 13th Grand Slam victory of still growing career, Rafael Nadal was quick to downplay the possibility of pulling off a rare calendar Grand Slam, saying the competitiveness of tennis in this era makes it impossible to rack up all major tournaments in the same calendar year.
He also assured everybody that his 22-game winning streak on hard court will soon come to an end as he believes losing is inevitable in this sport.
Nadal capped an epic comeback from a knee injury by winning the U.S. Open Championships on a surface that gave him trouble, physically, over the years.
World's no.1 Novak Djokovic gave everything he got against Nadal in their 37th head-to-head encounter, but the 27-year-old Mallorcan netter was simply overpowering the entire match to book a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 win before a raucous crowd in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Nadal successfully swept all big three tournaments slated in the U.S. Open series - the Montreal Masters, Cincinnati Masters and the US Open championship - and moved closer to dethroning Novak Djokovic (120-point lead) on top of the ATP world ranking.
With all the momentum on his side following his epic feat, Nadal is still certain that great moments will not last long and losing will always be part of the game.
"Don't worry. I will lose (laughter). Everybody lose," Nadal said of losing.
"Having this success is amazing - I never expected it, that's life and I'm lucky to have what I'm having. I really love the competition, I really love the sport. All my career I dreamed to be involved in matches like today. I enjoy every moment. These things are not for ever. In a few years I won't have this chance. I try my best, I have passion and that's all I can do," Nadal told reporters during the post-game interview via Rafael Nadal fans club blog.
Nadal's 13th Grand Slam moved him four majors tournament victory away from matching Roger Federer's Grand Slam haul of 17 and five away from setting a new record in the Open Era. The Spaniard didn't guarantee if he could pull off such feat, but he nevertheless assured his fans that he would work hard and make sure he's always in position to win future tournaments.
"Let me enjoy today (smiling). For me, is much more than what I ever thought, what I ever dreamed. I said that few slams, when I had few slams less, but is true. Means a lot, this one, for me. Only thing I can say is the same like I do every time."
"I gonna keep working hard. I gonna keep doing my things to have more chances in the future to be competitive and to give me produce more chances to win the tournaments like this one. So that's what I gonna try. Then you never know when that start, when that finish, but 13 is an amazing number," Nadal said.
When asked if the calendar Grand Slam is next on his list, Nadal answered with an emphatic 'No' as he believes such achievement is impossible nowadays given the high level of competition among the top tennis players in the world.
"No. My challenge is finish the season well, try to keep playing with good feeling, try to being competitive until the end of the season, and then prepare myself well for the next season. This season has been amazing, so just try to keep working well and have opportunities to be competitive. Win all four Grand Slams in one year I think today is impossible for anyone," Nadal added.
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