Roger Federer is not Rafael Nadal's target. Pete Sampras is.
Tennis-x.com posted a video of Nadal talking to former No. 1 Mats Wilander about the next Grand Slam on the calendar, the French Open, where Nadal has nine of his 14 slams.
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He is currently tied for No. 2 all time with Sampras and told Wilander that No. 15 is front and center among his thoughts, career-wise.
"Well I have 14 now; it's true that I have the same one that Pete Sampras has," Nadal said. "I would love to have one more than Pete. So [I'm] gonna try my best to be 15. And then we'll see."
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Federer, currently No. 2 in the world rankings, owns the Grand Slam record with 17 titles, but Nadal, No. 3 in the world, admits anything other than No. 15 has not been on his mind.
"I don't know, I'm sure the records are there," Nadal said. "At the same time I never thought much about these kinds of things. I thought about everyday what's going on, tournament by tournament. By thinking that way, I think that's the right way to arrive at that record."
The video's narrator also added that Nadal said he felt he was "close to rediscovering his top form," and that could mean that Grand Slams No. 16 and No. 17 may not be that far away, at least among his thoughts.
But the big "if" in the room remains his health. Nadal was able to win the French Open last year, but injuries disturbed his other Grand Slam efforts, and his win at the Argentina Open last week was his first since the French Open.
Nadal also talked about legacy and wanting to raise a family, so in his line of thinking, the finish line to his career may not be that far off. Unless of course, Nadal wins the 2015 French Open and stays healthy.
Then, Federer's record would be in jeopardy.
Nadal has won nine French Open titles, and when asked about the possibility of No. 10 and the significance of that milestone, he took the same approach as he did his Grand Slam chase.
"Now is the most important one is going to be the next one," Nadal said. "Number one was the magic number, then two, three, four, five and No. 9 last year. They've all been the magic number."
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