In his post-match interview, Nadal was asked whether he felt he could end the 2022 season as World No. 1. The 21-time Major winner replied in typical fashion, insisting that he no longer pines for the year-end No. 1 spot.
The Spaniard has finished the season as World No. 1 five times, with 209 weeks spent as World No. 1. He pointed out that his physical problems over the years prevented him from accomplishing the feat more often.
He further elaborated on the sentiment by asserting that he has different goals nowadays, while also seemingly talking up his rivals like Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Nadal gave an even more grounded answer to whether he felt he was the favorite to win the tournament. He claimed that he “never considered himself a favorite for anything,” before stating that he tries to remain grounded before each match and take each day as it comes.
“I like to compete” - Rafael Nadal on his decision to play in Acapulco
In the interview, Nadal revealed the reason behind his decision to play the 500-level tournament in Acapulco, saying that he enjoyed the prospect of competing. He also pointed out that people forget how little he has played in the last few years.
The Spaniard, meanwhile, will face Stefan Kozlov in his next match. Kozlov lost in the qualifying rounds but was given a lucky-loser spot at the last moment. He has since made good use of it by beating Grigor Dimitrov 7-6(8), 5-7, 6-3 in the first round.
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