Paris (AFP)

Rafael Nadal, winner of the thousandth match of his prestigious career for his debut at the Masters 1000 in Paris on Wednesday, explained his accomplishment by having "always kept motivation and passion".

The Spaniard, crowned three weeks ago for the 13th time at Roland Garros, is only the fourth player in the Open era to reach this milestone, behind Jimmy Connors (1274), Roger Federer (1242) and Ivan Lendl ( 1068).

Q: What does reaching this milestone of a thousand victories represent for you?

A: "It means I'm old! It also means that I have played well for many years. I'm very happy about that. I can only thank everyone who helped me throughout my life. career to come to this. It's a very special number, a very special moment, even though there was no audience. The results tell me I'm not too old yet, because I'm still competitive And I'm not too good either: I didn't play only a thousand matches, I also lost a lot, even though I won a lot more than I lost. sport where we lose almost every week, we live permanently with victory and defeat, we are used to it. Each victory has had its importance to arrive at this total. It is a satisfaction to arrive there because it wants to say that we have done things very well for many years. "

Q: What is the key to your longevity?

A: "The key is obviously to play very well for a long time, there is no other way to reach this total. Afterwards, in my case, it is true that I was confronted with hard times, I had several long and complicated injuries. But I always kept the passion and motivation to keep moving forward, and I was always surrounded by the right people to help me progress and to overcome the most difficult times. "

Q: Is the fact of never having won this tournament an additional motivation?

A: "No. My motivation to win is not greater here than in Monte-Carlo, Madrid or Indian Wells. Whatever the tournament, I play it with the same motivation. There I am in the city in which I experienced great moments, not in the same place, but I'm here to give myself a chance to be competitive here, and we'll see. A first indoor match is always difficult, it's a victory important to me. "

Interview at a press conference.

© 2020 AFP