Inner-U

Rafael Nadal is back in sunny California to make his 11th appearance in Indian Wells. And while many things have changed in the past decade, even Nadal marvels at the fact that the top four seeds at the 2015 BNP Paribas Open are the same four names that have dominated the men’s game for so long.

“It’s pretty amazing what has happened in the last 10 years,” Nadal told the media on Wednesday. “The same players are achieving almost everything. That is something that I think has never happened in the history of our sport.

“Novak [Djokovic], Andy [Murray], Roger [Federer], myself…it’s something special. It’s something that is finishing. I don’t know if [it will happen] in one, two, three, four years, but for everybody it finishes. Hopefully we created a good example for the next generations.”

The three-time Indian Wells champion and current World No. 3 credits his upbringing for his longevity.

“When I was a kid, I didn’t feel that pressure from my family,” said the 28 year old. “I didn’t feel that I was only focused on tennis. I was playing tennis, football, going out with my friends. You have time to be a professional in the future.”

Nadal, who claimed his first title of the season just weeks ago in Buenos Aires, has undoubtedly made the most of his time at the top of the sport. In addition to his family support, he has an inner circle he trusts implicitly.

“I give my team the flexibility to say the right things to me,” said the 14-time Grand Slam champion. “If I am playing terrible, they are not scared to say [that] to me. Sometimes the teams around the big stars of sport are scared to say things to the player. That hasn’t happened with me, and that helps.”

Source:- ATP Tennis