Record 21-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal had a real but also a bit sad reaction to achieving his 301st Grand Slam victory. At the French Open, Nadal made tennis history and entered the exclusive 300-Grand Slam wins club.
On Wednesday, Nadal defeated Corentin Moutet in the French Open second round to clinch his 300th Grand Slam victory. Two days later, Nadal defeated Botic van de Zandschulp for his 301st Grand Slam victory. Nadal, who will be turning 36 next months, said this feat he has been very successful for a long time but also that he is very old.
“Well, there is two things when you achieve this number no, first one is you are very old and the second one, of course, is I had a great career no I am very happy about the things, how the things went during my tennis career.
I had some tough moments with injuries. But at the same time because of tennis, I enjoyed many experiences. I could never live without tennis,” Nadal said, per Sportskeeda.
Nadal grateful to have a long career
Only three players have 300 or more wins at the Grand Slam level and it is not hard to guess which three – Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
“I just can say thanks to life. I feel very fortunate guy to be able to enjoy a lot of things that I never imagined and never could dream of and one of the most special things without a doubt is playing in the best stadiums of the world with the best crowds,” he added.
Nadal missed almost the entire second half of the 2021 season because of a foot injury. Nadal made an impressive comeback at the start of this season as he captured a record 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. Nadal is now aiming to win a record 14th French Open title and a record 22nd Grand Slam title.
