Nadal says completing a Grand Slam is not what he desires; he only wants to keep improving
Nadal says completing a Grand Slam is not what he desires; he only wants to keep improvingRafael Nadal is closing in on a piece of tennis history, but insists it is not something that is in the forefront of his mind.
Top-seeded Nadal pounded his way past Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 6-2, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 in the featured late night Friday match on Arthur Ashe Stadium court.
The Spanish powerhouse has won five French Opens, two Wimbledons and one Australian Open and needs just the US Open to complete the set and join Roger Federer, Rod Laver, Andre Agassi, Roy Emerson, Don Budge and Fred Perry in the annals of the sport.
Even though he agrees that Flushing Meadows will always be the Grand Slam tournament he is least suited to, Nadal is getting closer with runs into the semi-finals in the last two years.
And with back-to-back titles in the French Open and at Wimbledon in the summer, Nadal is the form player in the five-set, two-week long version of the sport.
Asked repeatedly this week what it would mean to him to be part of tennis' Magnificent Seven, Nadal complained: "You are focused on this."
"Maybe for Roger it was a big goal because he is the best in history and he needed Roland Garros. He deserved Roland Garros because he did three finals, another semi-finals," he added.
"Seriously, for me to complete the Grand Slam at this moment is not a goal. For me the goal is to try and improve my level, to play well in the next match, and we will see what happens next Sunday, no?
"For me it is not an obsession and it is not a real goal."
