Rafa Nadal will have no regrets, if he fails to claim another Grand Slam title, after moving within two wins of a record 21st at the Australian Open.
The Spanish great has survived a five-set scare against Canada's Denis Shapovalov at Rod Laver Arena to reach his seventh semi-finals at Melbourne Park.
With rivals Novak Djokovic deported before the tournament and Roger Federer recovering from knee surgery, Nadal has a chance to grab the all-time record outright at Melbourne Park, but he says it will not matter to him if he misses out.
"I don't hope anything. I just keep going," he says. "In terms of what can happen in the future, honestly, I really don't care that much.
"I'm not going to be frustrated if Novak or Roger finishes the career with more Grand Slams than me, no?
"I mean, let's enjoy the situation that we did, every one of us, we did very special things in our sport."
Worried his career was in jeopardy a couple of months ago, as he struggled to recover from a foot problem, Nadal will now contest his 36th Grand Slam semi-final.
Having the extra day's break will be a huge blessing for the 35-year-old, after his four-hour slog in the heat against 14th seed Shapovalov.
With 22-year-old Shapovalov roaring back from two sets down to take the match into a fifth, Nadal says it is a "little bit of a miracle" that he managed to outlast the Canadian.
"I was destroyed, honestly, physically," says Nadal, who took a medical timeout off court, after Shapovalov took the fourth set.
"But my serve worked well and for me, every game that I was winning with my serve was a victory.
"Of course, in the beginning of the fifth set... I was very worried, but more than that, I thought it was going to be super difficult to win that match, but here I am... it's an amazing news, no?"
Reuters
