"Sometimes people forget I am 20 years old, I have 17 titles in 2 years" - When Rafael Nadal spoke about dealing with the pressure of expectations

Rafael Nadal once opened up about dealing with the pressure of heightened expectations early in his career, stemming from his extraordinary success as a teenager.

Nadal won his maiden ATP title at the 2004 Prokom Open at just 18 years old. This was followed by a prolific 2005 season, where he amassed 11 tour-level titles, including his maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open.

The Spaniard's success continued into 2006, as he secured five ATP titles, successfully defending his Roland Garros title and triumphing at the Masters 1000 events in Monte-Carlo and Rome. However, despite emerging victorious at the Stuttgart Open after the claycourt Major, he concluded the year without any more titles.

As the 2007 season commenced, there was considerable anticipation for Rafael Nadal's resurgence. After failing to claim victory at the Australian Open and Dubai Tennis Championships, he entered the Pacific Life Open (now known as the Indian Wells Masters) on the hunt for his first title of the season.

During his campaign at the Masters 1000 event, the Spaniard candidly discussed the weight of expectations, acknowledging the relentless pressure to win every tournament despite being only 20 years old. He also emphasized his desire to simply enjoy his tennis career without the burden of additional demands.

"Well, sometimes the people forget I have [am] 20 years old. That's true. I have 17 titles in two years. That's true. But well, I need always little bit more time playing without this pressure in every tournament," he said in a press conference.

"You need to win. Well, I try my best always, but I know I -- I can lose every match. I can win every one. But that's it. I just want to play, enjoy the -- my career. I enjoy the tennis because I love play with -- play with little bit pressure, with the competition, and I don't want more pressure than I really have already," he added.

Moreover, Nadal underlined his primary focus on making improvements and becoming the best player he could be, with the ultimate goal of becoming the World No. 1.

"Because I enjoy playing tennis and I just have to again improve my tennis. I can't stop. And sometimes when you are improving, it's not easy to win. I just want to -- I'm trying to be best player every year, and sometimes, especially, my goal is be prepared if any day I have the chance to be No. 1," he said.

Looking back at Rafael Nadal's campaign at the 2007 Pacific Life Open

Rafael Nadal won the 2007 Pacific Life Open

Rafael Nadal entered the 2007 Pacific Life Open as the second seed, kicking off his campaign with a 6-3, 7-6(3) win over Arnaud Clement in the second round after receiving a bye in the opening round.

Subsequently, the Spaniard defeated Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 6-4 and claimed a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win over Juan Carlos Ferrero. He advanced to the semifinals by beating Juan Ignacio Chela 7-5, 7-5.

Nadal then triumphed over third seed Andy Roddick 6-4, 6-3 to set up a blockbuster final against Novak Djokovic. The Spaniard defeated Djokovic 6-2, 7-5 to clinch his first title of the year.