Nadal: 'The final tournament can come at any time'

"As a professional tennis player, you never know the answer," said Nadal when asked if this would be his last visit to Australia to win a Grand Slam. "Hopefully not. At this age, you don't know what will be your last. I'm just focused on trying to compete at the highest level possible, keep competing and fighting for the top." everything. I don't think about whether 2023 will be my last year in Australia. I'm happy with what I'm doing."

Nadal is in Sydney to prepare for the United Cup team tournament, one of the warm-up tournaments for the Australian Open. The "King of Clay" competes in Spain, along with Paula Badosa, Pablo Carreno Busta, Nuria Parrizas Diaz, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, David Vega Hernandez and Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. He played his first match on December 31, against Cameron Norrie in the group stage. Two days later, Nadal faced Alex De Minaur - who replaced Nick Kyrgios with an injury at the last minute.

In 2022, Nadal came to Australia with many doubts when he had not fully recovered from his injury. Despite not competing in the previous months, Nadal still won the ATP 250 in Melbourne and then won the Australian Open, after defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final.

At the 2023 Australian Open, Nadal is expected to be the second seed, behind compatriot Carlos Alcaraz. Things promise to be more difficult for Nadal, as young players progress quickly, and Australian Open legend Novak Djokovic has his entry ban lifted to attend the tournament. Also in an interview with Sydney media, Nadal shared that he was happy when Djokovic had the opportunity to extend the record of Grand Slam championships at the beginning of the year to 10. "He is here is a good thing for world tennis." , Nadal talked about Nole.

In 2022, Nadal won four titles including two Grand Slams. However, the Spaniard's season was also seriously affected by injury and stomach illness. He has just reached the milestone of 900 consecutive weeks in the top 10 in the world - a record of the felt ball village. "Next time, I will attend less tournaments, it is difficult to keep the high rank when the age is not young anymore," added the 36-year-old tennis player. "There are things that age does not allow me to pursue anymore. However, I only retire when I can no longer compete for titles."