Rafael Nadal speaks during the launch of his new branch of the "Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy' in Kuwait. (Getty Images)
Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal shared his plans ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at the launch of his new branch of ‘Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy’ in Kuwait on Thursday.
The 19-time Grand Slam winner was speaking to Spanish media outlet Marca and the excerpts from the interview were translated via Google. The former World No. 1 was opening up on his plans regarding the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics and was of the opinion that the Olympics was the most important sporting event in the world.
When asked what were his plans for the event in Tokyo, he said:
“Must see. There is a lot of season ahead. And it is a demanding season for me, because between 2019 and 2020 I had very little break. Therefore, I have to measure the efforts very well, measure the calendar and the decisions I make,” he replied.
“That, obviously, apart from the decisions helping me to the extent that I have more or less success, the calendar ends with the results. In the end, when you win more, you can play less; and when you win less, you have to play more. It is a basic principle of our sport.”
“Let’s see what the calendar holds for us. The Olympic Games are always a date that is marked. It is the most important sporting event in the world; which I hope to be there with,” Nadal said.
Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal is a two-time Olympic gold medallist, having won the men’s singles title at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and the doubles title at Rio in 2016.
He defeated Chilean Fernando Gonzales 6–3, 7–6, 6–3 in the summit clash to bag his first and only singles Olympic medal to date.
He added another to his list of Olympic glories by securing the men’s doubles gold alongside fellow countrymate Marc Lopez. Nadal and Lopez overcame Romanian duo of Florin Mergea and Horia Tecău 6–2, 3–6, 6–4 in the final.
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