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 Yet only two years later, a younger, fitter, hungrier rival by
the name of Rafa Nadal is now threatening to topple the Swiss from
his perch after hoisting his 14th major silverware at Roland Garros
on Sunday.
As the Spaniard has now contested the last three slam finals it is
not inconceivable that by the time he returns to Paris next year to
target a 10th Musketeers' Cup, his name could be alongside Federer's
on the list of all-time leading title hoarders.
As the first man to win nine times at the same grand slam tournament
and with time still on his side, Nadal has shown no signs of
relinquishing his hold at the French Open, where he owns an
eye-popping 66-1 win-loss record.
The tennis world may be obsessed with finding out just how many more
trophies Nadal is capable of winning but the 28-year-old did not
seem to care a hoot about where he ended up in the pecking order.
"Federer, well, he's had 17 and I have had 14 grand slams... but I'm
not really worried. It's not a source of motivation for me," said
the French Open champion, who owns two Wimbledons, two U.S. Open and
an Australian Open trophy.
"I don't really care that much about the records. I'll still play
with a lot of intensity. I'll still be motivated.
"I'll follow my own path. Then when my career is over, we'll count."
That path will initially lead him to Wimbledon, where he desperately
wants to make amends for his shock first-round defeat last year to
135th-ranked Belgian Steve Darcis.
The switch from clay to grass in just two weeks proved to be a
challenge too for Nadal and his overworked knees in 2013, especially
as he was on the way back from a seven-month injury break.
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Twelve months on an he is more optimistic about his return to the
home of lawn tennis.
"I want to try to play well again in Wimbledon," said the Spaniard,
who preserved his status as world number one by beating Novak
Djokovic in the French Open final.
"I'm healthy. That's the most important thing."
"I hope my knee will have the positive feeling on grass, because I
feel my knee is better than last year on the rest of the surfaces.
"Grass always was a little bit harder for me after the injury. Last
year I tried, but I was not ready to compete at Wimbledon.
"Let's see how my feelings are there this year, but it's a very
important tournament. It's a tournament I really love so much."
(Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
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