Federer's record is light years away, says Nadal.
The Spanish tennis player still sees himself far from the record of 17 individual Grand Slam titles won by his rival Roger Federer, although he is only 27 years old and already has 12 trophies from the most important tournaments in the world.
MADRID, June 11 (Reuters) Rafael Nadal still sees himself as a long way from the record of 17 individual Grand Slam titles won by his rival Roger Federer, although the Spaniard is only 27 years old and already has 12 trophies from the most important tournaments in the world.
Nadal won his eighth French Open title on Sunday. He also has two Wimbledon trophies, and victories at the US and Australian Opens.
Federer, 31, hasn't won an individual Grand Slam title since Wimbledon in 2012, but remains third in the world rankings, with a strong chance of adding to his trophy collection before retiring.
"Matching Federer is something that at the moment seems light-years away, something I'm not even thinking about," Nadal said in an interview published Tuesday by the Spanish sports newspaper Marca.
Sunday's title at Roland Garros was Nadal's seventh since February, when he returned to play after spending seven months sidelined with a knee injury.
When asked about the secret to his success, he replied that there is "nothing special." He cited the support of his team, family, and friends, and added: "Traveling through Spain and the world and feeling loved is a personal satisfaction that gives me a lot of energy to achieve success."
(Reporting by Iain Rogers)