PARIS — Rafael Nadal said "no-one is invincible" in an interview with AFP Thursday as he targets a 14th French Open title and record-setting 21st Grand Slam crown.
"No-one is invincible, anywhere," said Nadal whose career record at Roland Garros stands at 100 victories against just two losses since his title-winning Paris debut in 2005.
"This year I lost (early) in Monte Carlo and Madrid. I hope not to lose here at Roland Garros. What I can do is fight."
Victory in the final in Paris on June 13 will take Nadal past the record of 20 majors he currently shares with Roger Federer.
Despite his remarkable history in Paris, Nadal, who turns 35 on June 3, admits he remains stunned at his longevity in a sport where he has been an ever-present in the world top 10 since 2005.
When asked if he could have imagined still playing at 35, he said: "Ten years ago, no. But if you had asked me the question two years ago, maybe I would have answered yes.
"Ten years ago, I had so many physical problems that it was difficult for me to imagine that my career would last so long," added the Spaniard whose career has been plagued by a series of knee injuries.
Nadal will start this year's French Open as the overwhelming favourite once again, boosted by his recent win over world number one Novak Djokovic in the Rome Masters final.
Of Nadal's 88 career titles, 62 have come on clay.
He has won at least 10 times each at Roland Garros, Monte Carlo, Rome and Barcelona.
Between 2005 and 2007, he went on an 81-win streak on clay.
In his great rivalry with Djokovic, which stands at 29-28 in the Serb's favour, Nadal holds the upper hand on clay.
He has a 19-7 record on the surface against the world number one and is 9-4 in finals.
Three of those championship match wins came at Roland Garros in 2012, 2014 and 2020.
However, he will still be wary of Djokovic, the 2016 champion in Paris.
The Serb handed Nadal one of his two losses at the French Open, in 2015, six years after Robin Soderling had been the first man to achieve the feat.
"Roland Garros is a very special place for me," said Nadal.
"Favourite or not, that is not the question. What matters is to play well, and the one who plays the best will be whoever has the most chances of winning the tournament.
"My goal is to be the one who plays the best."
AFP