Rafael Nadal to have Roger Federer record ‘in the back of his mind’ at Australian Open

Australian Open: Five things to watch

Alex Corretja reckons his former Davis Cup team-mate Rafael Nadal will have Roger Federer’s record in the back of his mind during his Australian Open campaign. The world No 2 has insisted that he is not “obsessed” with surpassing his Swiss rival during the build-up to the first Grand Slam of the season

Nadal drew level with Federer’s 20 Grand Slam titles by winning the French Open last year.

With Federer absent in Melbourne due to injury, Nadal has a glorious opportunity to pull ahead.

And Corretja reckons Nadal will not completely forget about the history he could create Down Under.

“He knows for sure and I think the good thing with him is he deals with this kind of pressure,” Eurosport pundit Corretja told Express Sport.

“He is used to dealing with situations where he needs to go for the 10th Roland Garros, he has to go and win Wimbledon and, he has done it.

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“He has won Davis Cup, Olympic golds, every time he finds a way to survive these kind of challenges.

“He definitely needs to have it in the back of his mind. There is no chance that he is not going to think [about Federer’s record] but the good thing with him is he knows how to deal with these types of situations day by day.”

Nadal has remained level-headed prior to the Australian Open, despite being one of the pre-tournament favourites for the title.

He told CNN: “I did much more than what I ever dreamed in my tennis career.

“It would be amazing for me to win one more. But I know that will not be the key for my happiness in the future. It’s not extra pressure and it’s not an obsession.

“I keep going, doing it my way. If it happens, fantastic, but if not, I’m more than happy about everything that happened to me.”

He added: “When it comes to tennis, I try to do it my own way: I try to do my best every day to become a better player. To go to the training court every day with the aim of improving something.

“But I’ve never been obsessed with being the best. I’ve always just been focused on doing my best.

“If that gives me the opportunity to play the most important things, I want to – great.

“But for me it is important to come home after the season and think: Okay, I’m tired, I’ve done everything I could.”

Watch the Australian Open live on Eurosport and Eurosport app

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