Nadal has daily Federer thoughts

Rafael Nadal’s uncle, Toni, says his nephew is always thinking about surpassing Roger Federer’s Grand Slam tally. Federer leads the all-time Grand Slam record, having won his 20th at the 2018 Australian Open but he is being chased down by rivals Nadal and world number one Novak Djokovic, who have 19 and 16 slams respectively. The Spanish star, who has won 12 of his 19 titles at the French Open, earning him the nickname ‘The King of Clay’, triumphed at Roland Garros and Flushing Meadows this year in what has been a very good season. Injuries have often ended the 33-year-old’s campaigns early in recent years but he has a clean bill of health at the moment, meaning he will compete at the ATP Tour Finals next month for the first time since 2017. Speaking about Rafa, his uncle believes his nephew has a few goals he would like to complete in both the short and long term. “I think Rafael fights on a daily basis for two or three things,” he was quoted as saying by the Express. “The first one for a special satisfaction; all athletes try to motivate themselves. “Now Rafael has another battle: he is very close to Federer on the Grand Slams. I imagine it will be a priority of his on his mind. Then you have other challenges; this year he can end as a number one.”