Rafael Nadal is satisfied with his on-court results in 2022, given that he won two Grand Slams — a feat he considers to be a difficult ask in tennis.
The Spaniard won his 21st and 22nd Majors this year by emerging as champion at the Australian Open and the French Open. He now holds the record for most Grand Slam singles titles won by a male player.
In a recent interview with Esquire, the 36-year-old was asked to name the best and worst parts of his life this year. He expressed satisfaction with his professional life, highlighting how he has won Majors in a year in which he has been plagued with injuries.
“I think the year in general has been very good at a professional level. Two Grand Slam titles are not easily won every year and that has made me satisfied in terms of results. It is true that I have had some injuries at the beginning of the year and in the middle of the year that have prevented me from competing in other tournaments and kept me at home longer than desired,” Nadal said.
Interestingly though, Nadal himself has won multiple Majors in a calendar year on six occasions, last achieving the feat in 2019. Novak Djokovic, too, has pulled off this feat six times, and surprisingly enough, so has Roger Federer.
While this might make it seem like the said feat is easy, it is pertinent to note that no other male player, besides the Big 3, has won two Majors or more in a calendar year in the 21st century.
Nadal then reflected on a major personal milestone in his life this year, namely the birth of his son, which happened under stressful circumstances. His wife Maria endured a complicated pregnancy which kept the former World No. 1 on tenterhooks throughout the American hardcourt tour.
“On a personal level, moments of immense joy have also been combined with the birth of our son with others in which we went through complicated situations that kept us on our toes and prevented a normal development of what we were doing, in my case competing in the open USA. But in the end everything turned out well and I have the sweet taste of the year that is about to end,” he stated.
“Water is what I like the least, but what I drink the most” – Rafael Nadal
During the interview, Rafael Nadal was asked to pick his drink of preference amongst wine, water, and soft drinks. Unsurprisingly, he revealed that water is what he drinks the most even though it is his least favorite drink.
“To tell you the truth, maybe water is what I like the least, but what I drink the most. I like wine, but lately they have it more limited, almost forbidden, just like a soft drink that I always had with some olives and which lately I’ve had to give up,” he said.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner was also asked to name his preferred choice between rock, pop, and classical music. He divulged that he has had a soft spot for classical music from a young age given his grandfather was a conductor in an orchestra. However, the 14-time Roland Garros champion also admitted that pop singer Julio Iglesias is his favorite vocalist, and further revealed his love for reggaeton.
“Well, here I tell you that I am one of the three. My grandfather was a conductor in Manacor and he instilled in me a love for classical music as a child. Nor am I deceiving anyone by saying that my favorite singer is Julio Iglesias and that I also listen to reggaeton. I leave it there,” he expressed.