Rafael Nadal expected to be retired, rather than winning an 11th French Open title, by the time he turned 32. But with his 17th Grand Slam tournament win on Sunday, the veteran Spaniard once again defended his clay-court throne—and also secured the No. 1 ranking.
"I would say that I am an ordinary person who has done something difficult," Nadal was quoted inMarca the day after his victory. "I have won 86 of the 88 [matches] I have played, and maybe in 75 of those, I have gone out thinking that I could win or I could lose—I think this is part of the basis of my success."
While happy with his play from the quarterfinals onward, Nadal suggested that he struggled with his backhand during the first few rounds. The world No. 1 also said that in his recent training, he had been concentrating on varying the position of his shots.
"It helped that the [French Open] court is much bigger than the others," he said. "I have worked in a different way this season but I have worked very little because of the [injury] problems I had."
Though surprised to be still playing, Nadal reiterated his commitment to the game.
"At this age I thought I would be retired and have a family," Nadal said. "The years are going on but it depends on what happens with my tennis and with my career; there will come a time when a decision must be made and when it arrives, it will come without any kind of stress. These are natural things that you go through in life.
"I also have a partner and it's not just me who decides things."
WATCH—Go inside the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca: