Eurosport.yahoo.com - Tue, 28 Oct 16:28:00 2008
World number one Rafael Nadal has sent a warning to his rivals for the top ranking spot, insisting he can continue to make improvements to his game.
Nadal, who already has five Grand Slam titles to his name, held the number two spot for 160 weeks as the seemingly infallible Roger Federer continued to go from strength to strength.
But the 22-year-old Spaniard finally reached the pinnacle of the world rankings in August, shortly after becoming the first man since Bjorn Borg to lift both the French Open and Wimbledon crowns in the same season.
"Nowadays, when I go on court, I don't say I am number one, number two - or number 50," Nadal told French sports daily L'Equipe. "I am there to win."
"Wimbledon was the turning point - from then on I realised (dethroning Federer after a record 237 weeks) was possible."
Nadal endured an undistinguished start to the 2008 season - suffering a straight sets drubbing at the hands of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Australian Open semi-finals and being forced to wait until Monte Carlo in April for his first title. But since then the Mallorcan has won Roland Garros and Wimbledon, picked up Masters titles in Hamburg and Montreal, secured an Olympic gold medal in Beijing and racked up further victories at Queens and Barcelona.
"It is very difficult to stay at the summit - Federer was exceptional these last four or five seasons," Nadal said. "All that time he was winning three Grand Slams a year - incredible.
"He's not had the 'bad' season some people say he has I think if Federer had won his customary three Grand Slams it would have been impossible to dislodge him."
Nadal indicated that one of his next goals is to expand his Grand Slam collection, with the Australian and US Opens both on his wish list, and identified British world number four Andy Murray as the biggest threat to his plans. "I tell myself I've got to the semis in both (the Australian and US Opens) and so I'm not far off (winning them)," Nadal added. "Maybe the game conditions in Australia are more advantageous for me."
"My goals haven't changed - I only want to progress. That's what you have to do if you are number one and want to stay there. I want to stay there and I will fight for that."
"Murray has proved these past few months he's got what it takes to win the big tournaments, no matter what he's up against."
World number one Rafael Nadal has sent a warning to his rivals for the top ranking spot, insisting he can continue to make improvements to his game.
Nadal, who already has five Grand Slam titles to his name, held the number two spot for 160 weeks as the seemingly infallible Roger Federer continued to go from strength to strength.
But the 22-year-old Spaniard finally reached the pinnacle of the world rankings in August, shortly after becoming the first man since Bjorn Borg to lift both the French Open and Wimbledon crowns in the same season.
"Nowadays, when I go on court, I don't say I am number one, number two - or number 50," Nadal told French sports daily L'Equipe. "I am there to win."
"Wimbledon was the turning point - from then on I realised (dethroning Federer after a record 237 weeks) was possible."
Nadal endured an undistinguished start to the 2008 season - suffering a straight sets drubbing at the hands of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Australian Open semi-finals and being forced to wait until Monte Carlo in April for his first title. But since then the Mallorcan has won Roland Garros and Wimbledon, picked up Masters titles in Hamburg and Montreal, secured an Olympic gold medal in Beijing and racked up further victories at Queens and Barcelona.
"It is very difficult to stay at the summit - Federer was exceptional these last four or five seasons," Nadal said. "All that time he was winning three Grand Slams a year - incredible.
"He's not had the 'bad' season some people say he has I think if Federer had won his customary three Grand Slams it would have been impossible to dislodge him."
Nadal indicated that one of his next goals is to expand his Grand Slam collection, with the Australian and US Opens both on his wish list, and identified British world number four Andy Murray as the biggest threat to his plans. "I tell myself I've got to the semis in both (the Australian and US Opens) and so I'm not far off (winning them)," Nadal added. "Maybe the game conditions in Australia are more advantageous for me."
"My goals haven't changed - I only want to progress. That's what you have to do if you are number one and want to stay there. I want to stay there and I will fight for that."
"Murray has proved these past few months he's got what it takes to win the big tournaments, no matter what he's up against."
Pippa Davis / Eurosport
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