"When Rafael Nadal broke record for most Opens, he wasn’t thinking about breaking the record" - Lin-Manuel Miranda on why awards are not big motivation

Two-time Emmy Award-winning songwriter and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda revealed that he seeks inspiration from Rafael Nadal while writing his musical compositions.

In addition to his Emmy Awards, Miranda has also won three Grammys, three Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize. He was recently nominated for an Academy Award for his work in the latest Disney release, Encanto.

At 42, Miranda could become only the 17th person in history to complete the EGOT. It is a term coined for someone who has won the Tony, Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar awards.

In a recent chat with celebrity host Jimmy Kimmel, Miranda was asked if he was driven by the desire to become an EGOT winner. In response, the songwriter brought up the example of Rafael Nadal. He explained that records are mere statistics and that, like Nadal, he too is only focused on the job at hand.

“It’s like stats,” Lin-Manuel Miranda said. “When (Spanish tennis champion) Rafa Nadal broke the record for most Opens, he wasn’t thinking about breaking the record. He was just thinking about, ‘there’s a ball coming at me very fast. And I have to hit the ball back.’ And that’s how I feel when I’m writing the tune. It’s like somebody throwing a ball at me.”

---

Rafael Nadal to play Reilly Opelka in the 4th round of the Indian Wells Masters

Reilly Opelka hits the ball against Denis Shapovalov

Rafael Nadal will face stiff resistance in the shape of Reilly Opelka in the fourth round on Wednesday as he continues his bid for a fourth Indian Wells Masters title.

The Spaniard has so far accounted for Sebastian Korda and Dan Evans. He came very close to losing to Korda as the American twice served for the match. But the Spaniard managed to stage a miraculous fightback, eventually prevailing in a tie-break.

Opelka, on his part, has ousted Lorenzo Musetti and Denis Shapovalov so far.

The 21-time Major champion leads Opelka by a margin of 1-0 in the head-to-head. The two faced each other at last year's Italian Open, with the Mallorcan winning 6-4, 6-4.