Massage, photos and back to work: Nadal will not relax (Feature)

By Ignacio Naya Feb 2, 2009, 17:08 GMT

Melbourne, Australia - A massage in his hotel room was the only celebration that Rafael Nadal allowed himself after winning his first edition of the Australian Open.

Exhaustion after a match that lasted over four hours Sunday did not encourage much more, and anyway the world number one does not want to relax when the season has only just started.

'The goal is to think about what lies ahead - Rotterdam. There is no margin for relaxation here,' Nadal told a small group of reporters Monday in Melbourne.

After midnight, he beat Roger Federer 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 6- 2 to win the Australian Open.

Wearing a striped T-shirt and jeans, the 22-year-old Spaniard recalled the most emotional instances of Sunday night's final. But he focused on the challenges that 2009 presents him with.

Following the win in Australia, this 'is already a great season,' he noted.

In Melbourne, Nadal became the first tennis player since Andre Agassi to win a Grand Slam tournament in three different surfaces. To his wins on clay at Roland Garros and on grass at Wimbledon, he now added the hard court in Australia.

The US Open is the only trophy missing in this selective list. If he gets it, the Spaniard would join a most exclusive club with Fred Perry, Roy Emerson and Agassi, who all won all four Grand Slam tournaments, although none do so consecutively.

'More than a challenge, that is something to look forward to,' said Nadal. 'The US Open is a tournament that has always been harder for me. I have improved with time and I reached the semifinals in 2008. It was a pity I got there so tired.'

He also made the semis in 2008 in Australia, and he carried the title this year. That is why the question of whether he can win the Grand Slam, the four great tournaments in the same year, rings in the heads of all tennis fans.

'Of course that motivates me. But then winning 300,000 tournaments also motivates me,' the Spaniard said, resorting to irony. 'I am conscious of the fact that many factors come into play and that it is practically impossible. Honestly, it has not crossed my mind.'

Only two men in history have managed to win the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year: Don Budge, of the United States, in 1938 and the Australian Rod Laver in 1962 and 1969. The task at hand is at best complicated, so Nadal would rather just think of Rotterdam for now.

'I am aware of the fact that I am not going to get there 100 per cent physically and mentally, but I am going to make an effort. Last year it was one of the tournaments I played worst at, so I am excited about doing well there this year,' he said.

After Rotterdam, he is set to go to Dubai, followed by the first round of the Davis Cup against Serbia, and then Indian Wells and Miami.

'I set myself the goal of getting 2,000 points between Australia and Miami. Fortunately I have got them already. Now I have to try to improve and get to 3,000 if I can.'

That is why Nadal does not have much time for celebrations. Accompanied by his father, Sebastia, and several members of his team, the champion patiently endured a photo session with the trophy on the roof of a hotel in central Melbourne Monday, with the city's skyline as the backdrop.

At night he was set to get on a plane for a strenuous journey. Back home in the Spanish island of Mallorca, he may find some quieter time with his family. However, there will be no fishing - the sportsman has to fulfil a star's commitments, and he will use his week off the tour to shoot an advert for television, without neglecting his training.

On Sunday he is set to fly to Rotterdam. The season has only just started.