Rafael Nadal claims Roger Federer playing RG is good for him & for tennis in general, says Monte Carlo defeat is in the past

Rafael Nadal, who is currently gunning for a record-extending 12th title at the Barcelona Open, spoke about a wide range of topics at his pre-tournament press conference. Nadal touched upon the news of Roger Federer committing to play Roland Garros, before talking about what keeps him going on the tour even in his mid-30s.

Roger Federer recently announced his schedule for this year's clay season, confirming his participation in two events - the Geneva Open and the French Open. In that context, Rafael Nadal expressed his happiness at Federer playing Roland Garros, remarking that the Swiss' participation was a good sign for everyone in the tennis community.

"I already knew it (Roger Federer's presence in Paris)," Rafael Nadal said. "It's good for him and for tennis in general."

Rafael Nadal also shed light on the topic of his potential retirement, asserting that he was definitely not going to play into his 40s. But the Spaniard claimed he still loves playing tennis, and that he hopes to play for at least another couple of years.

"Of course, I will not be playing until the age of 45, no?" Rafael Nadal said tongue-in-cheek. "I am always trying to do things as best as possible to play as long as possible. For the moment, I'm happy what I'm doing. I’m enjoying it and I hope to have the chance to keep around the tournaments for the next couple of years."

Now we are in Barcelona and I want to win: Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal practices at Barcelona

Rafael Nadal seems to have put his shock defeat to Andrey Rublev at Monte Carlo in the rearview mirror already. During his presser the Spaniard shrugged off the loss as 'strange', and insisted that he was thinking solely about winning the title in Barcelona now.

"Monte Carlo loss is the past," Nadal said. "You put it aside. The match against Rublev was strange, it went bad. Now we are in Barcelona and I want to win."

Rafael Nadal was also asked about the European Super League, the controversial football competition proposed to be contested by the top European clubs. In response, the Spaniard claimed that all sports were looking for different avenues to make revenue, before admitting that he didn't know enough to have a strong opinion on the matter.

"All the sports have been hit financially and so they look for solutions," Nadal said. "I do not know a lot so it's difficult to have a clear opinion."