While Roger Federer is chasing the cherished ambition of winning the Grand Slam of tennis, his closest rival Rafael Nadal, even with his never-say-never attitude, is not considering the rare achievement for himself.
"I don't think I can ever win all four Grand Slams in a year," the Spaniard said on the eve of the ATP tournament in Chennai on Sunday.
Federer has come close to the target, winning the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open in the last two years and making it to the final at Roland Garros, but Nadal has ruled the French capital and doesn't look like he'll let the advantage slip. Even as the two players have produced some epic tennis on clay and grass, the Swiss world no. 1 has comfortably taken the other two Slams to assert his standing in world tennis.
"I am not thinking about the other Slams. I don't think I could've played better than I did in the last season on the hard-courts. Roger is in awesome form, but I'm not worried about him at the moment. There are a lot of young players coming along who are a threat and who are going to do well in the coming years."
Nadal, who with 5735 points ended second for the third straight year, said he doesn't mind the tag.
"I would love to be world no. 2 for the next 50 years!" said Nadal with a grin. "At any other time, with the number of points I've got I would be the number one player in the world."
"For me, the goal for this year is to be a better player than last year. I am not worried about the number of points or titles I win. Obviously, this year is more significant because of the Olympics. It is the most important tournament after the Grand Slams."
Last month, Nadal's coach and uncle Toni had been quoted as saying that the 21-year-old had a recurring ankle injury which could threaten his career and that he needed to shorten his matches to put less pressure on his body. There was also some talk about Nadal being down with a knee injury, but the Spaniard refuted all claims.
"I don't want to talk about injuries. Whatever is printed in the papers in not hundred per cent true. It's stupid to speak about injuries at the beginning of the season. I am feeling fit and ready."
Nadal, who called it a season after the Shanghai Masters in November, added that after a short break he had been hitting the courts regularly, practicing six hours a day, before making the trip to Chennai.
Though he looked innocuous off the court, Nadal dripped of intensity during the one-hour practice session in the afternoon, playing some points with fellow Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, pulling off smart volleys and passing shots, and even the trademark fist-pump, under the watchful eye of his part-time coach Francis Roig.
Seeded one at the Chennai Open, Nadal will take on Frenchman Mathieu Montcourt in the first round. He will make the new year's eve appearance with friend and teammate Bartolome Salva-Vidal in the doubles on Monday, when the Spanish duo face Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus and Marc Giquel of France in the showcase doubles first round encounter.
Photograph: STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images
