Nadal's Epic Win at the US Open

Nadal and Russian player Daniil Medvedev had one of the most epic Grand Slam finals in recent times. Becoming the player with the most wins in his thirties, Nadal doesn't seem to give much importance to catching up with Roger Federer, the tennis player with the most majors in history. Twenty major trophies illuminate the Swiss player's career. Nineteen, after winning in New York, belong to the Spanish player.

The Spaniard is recovering from the effort and the emotions experienced after the victory against Medvedev. He doesn't look at the calendar. Only focused on rehabilitating his body after the exhaustion.

Challenges have become a personal matter for the Spanish player who, at 33 years old, still admits to having "ambition and motivation" in tennis. However, the Spanish tennis player continues his path regardless of any "spirit of revenge" or what people may say about him.

"Just like many people doubted that I could play for so many years, I also doubt it. I doubt now and I have always doubted. But here I am and in the end, it's a matter of day by day. I am happy with what I do. And if my body allows me to train daily and I enjoy the competition...", Nadal says, who wants to be competitive above all.

"What motivates me and my goal is to aspire to the maximum for as long as possible," says Nadal, who sees the upcoming challenges as the Masters Cup, which he has not yet conquered, and the new Davis Cup, which will kick off in Madrid in November, as the culmination of a dream year.

Nadal admits to being "fatigued" after the effort and physical demand required to win against Daniil Medvedev and claim his fourth success in New York, elevating his accumulated Grand Slam titles to nineteen.

"I am tired; the truth is that I am not recovered. I am a little physically exhausted," recognizes the Balearic tennis player in a telephone conversation with the media who have accompanied him in New York.

Recovering from the effort and emotions experienced, hours after the battle with Medvedev, now captivate Nadal's interest as he temporarily puts aside the definition of the remaining calendar. Nevertheless, he sees the Olympics in Tokyo as a more distant challenge.

At 33 years old and just one major away from equaling Roger Federer as the player with the most Grand Slams in history, Nadal prefers to wait and see "how his body evolves" in the coming days and to talk to his coaching team to define his next challenges.

But the Balearic player has marked two events in his "immediate calendar": the new Davis Cup and the Masters Cup in London, which concludes the circuit and is the only prestigious tournament that still eludes him.

"In terms of Asia, there is still some definition," Rafael Nadal says. "Beyond that, everyone knows what the Olympic Games represent to me, and I will do my best to try to arrive in the best way possible, with the best preparation, for Tokyo."

The Olympic Games are part of one of Nadal's challenges in 2020. They start on July 24 in Japan, right in the middle of Wimbledon and the start of the North American circuit. "But the Olympics are something special," insists the Balearic player, who won the gold medal in Beijing 2008 and finished fourth in Rio 2016, just outside the medals.

Nadal is aware that he must pace himself to maintain a high level. In the final stretch of a great season, with two more Grand Slams added to his list of achievements, he assumes the projects as challenges.

"The Olympic Games don't mark the entire year in tennis like in other sports, such as athletics, and it's difficult to have a specific plan for it, which complicates the schedule," Nadal points out, emphasizing that he always experiences the Olympic Games with great enthusiasm.

Nadal regrets that Spanish tennis has not been able to fully take advantage of the good performance offered in recent decades. The tennis player from Manacor is clear that Spain has made a "mistake" by not taking advantage of the high level of its players, which would have contributed to the acquisition of resources to support young players.

"We have been doing things for many years that will be very difficult to repeat. In the end, what we have achieved in the last 25-30 years is hardly repeatable, in terms of resources and economic capacity... we are ultimately competing with other countries that have an economic capacity that is virtually infinitely greater than Spain," Nadal recalls.

In this sense, the number two tennis player in the world, although very close to the first, Novak Djokovic, points out that the four countries that host a Grand Slam (Australia, the United States, London, and Paris) "have a budget infinitely superior to ours for tennis."

"In Spain, we have failed in this regard, as during all these years of the great rise of Spanish tennis, we have not been able as a federation to have our own tournament that generates annual income, which can be used to promote our sport and help the new generations that are coming," reasons the Balearic player.