Nadal motivated in Olympic year
Nadal motivated in Olympic year 
From correspondents in Chennai
Former Australian Captain December 31, 2007
WORLD No.2 Rafael Nadal wants to win the Olympic title at Beijing, but has distanced himself from trying to topple Swiss champion Roger Federer from the pedestal.
The feisty Spaniard, 21, who is top seed for the $US436,000 ($498,000) ATP Chennai Open starting Monday, said he was excited about 2008 because of the Olympic Games in August.
“This year there
is special significance because of the Olympic Games,” Nadal told reporters ahead of the season-opening event in the southern Indian city of Chennai.
“Olympics is just behind the four grand slams. The Davis Cup is also there, but importantly the Olympics comes once in four years.
“It is a special tournament, special motivation.”
Nadal, ranked second behind Federer for the third year in a row, said he was not working himself into a frenzy in trying to grab the No.1 position.
“I would love to be No.2 for 50 more years,” said Nadal, who finished 2007 with 5735 ATP ranking points against Federer’s 7180.
“(Getting) 5600 or 5700 points, that is a lot,” he said. “In a normal moment in the history of tennis, I’d have been No.1.
“I’m not worried about Roger, he is better than the other guys at the moment. But a lot of young guys are coming from behind at the present time.”
Nadal won six titles in 2007, including the French Open, and forced Federer into a five-set thriller in the Wimbledon final.
But he lost in the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and could not get past the fourth round at the US Open.
“It is difficult to play better,” said Nadal. “I played very well on grass, clay and indoors too.”
Agence France-Presse