Rafael Nadal: "When I won my first Grand Slam, I thought it was going to be the only one I'd win"

Rafael Nadal recently revealed that when he won his first Grand Slam, he thought it would be his only one.

Nadal's first Major came at the French Open in 2005, four years after he turned pro. He defeated Mariano Puerta 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-1, 7-5 in the final to lift the trophy at Roland-Garros for the first time, having defeated the legendary Roger Federer in the semifinals.

Since then, the Spaniard has made history by winning 13 more French Open titles, the only player to do so to date. His exploits on the red clay have also earned him the title 'King of Clay.'

Rafael Nadal recently spoke with Eurosport's Alize Lim, a former WTA pro, about how he didn't set a goal for himself of winning back-to-back Grand Slams when he was a child but focused on the tournament at hand.

"When I was a kid, I never said to myself 'I want to win a Grand Slam, I want to win Grand Slams, I want to be the best'. I was thinking about the tournament of the next week," the Spaniard said.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion also said that he didn't think he would win another Major after winning his maiden one. He added that each time he lifted such a trophy; he felt a sense of accomplishment and could finally "relax."

"When I won my first Grand Slam, I thought it was going to be the only one I'd win," Nadal said. "And then, every time, I won a Grand Slam. I was amazed, I thought, now I can really relax. It'll probably be my last one. Now I've achieved something and that's already huge."

Nadal was sidelined in the 2023 season as he suffered from a hip injury sustained during the Australian Open in January. The Spaniard has gone through a recovery process since then and will make his comeback at the 2024 Brisbane International.

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"Rafael Nadal must have ambitions deep down on his return" - Alize Lim

Rafael Nadal pictured at Real Madrid CF vs Real Sociedad

Former World No. 135 Alize Lim, who is now a member of Eurosport's group of tennis experts, said that Rafael Nadal's greatest strength is his ability to live in the moment. Lim also believes that the Spaniard has ambitions for his return, even if he is not expressing them.

"He's someone who lives in the moment, in the here and now, and that's his strength. I think he must have ambitions deep down on his return," Lim told Eurosport.

Lim added:

"I get the impression that it's not him now who's talking like that…he's shown me in the discussion, and that's what I deeply felt, that in fact that's what the Rafa mentality was all along, that's how Rafa worked."

The most eye-catching aspect of Rafael Nadal's return to professional tennis right now is his upcoming exhibition match against compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, which is being organized by Netflix. The Netflix Slam will take place on March 3 at the Michelob Ultra Arena at MGM Resorts International's Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.