I had a winners' attitude: Nadal

Rafael Nadal said positive thinking was the key to the sweetest victory of his career at the French Open on Sunday.

The Spaniard successfully defended his title with a 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 win over world number one Roger Federer despite not playing his best tennis.

"What is important is that my attitude was always positive," the Mallorcan said at his post-match news conference.

"I had a winner's attitude. Maybe I was not playing at my best level but I still maintained an excellent attitude.

"If you play with a good mental attitude, even if you are not 100 percent, you can win because you win more with your heart, with your will power than with anything else.

"It inspires me that everything went well. If you fight all the time, if you have a good mental attitude, it works."

Nadal said his victory meant more than last year's, even though that was his first grand slam title.

A worrying foot injury delayed his start to 2006 and Nadal said: "You can't compare this victory with last year's.

"Everything is different. This victory is more important for me because I was injured in the beginning of the season.

"I wasn't sure I could come back to my best level and I see I'm still number two. Winning here is a very special feeling. It's an excellent emotion.

GRASS NEXT

"I value a little bit more now. When you have problems, when you don't know exactly if you going to be the same level as before the injury, you value it a little bit more, no?

"It's special."

The 20-year-old left his teenage years behind during the course of the tournament and also broke the professional era record for consecutive wins on clay.

Nonetheless, it will be business as usual next week when he travels to London to play on grass at Queen's Club for the first time in preparation for Wimbledon.

"It's important I won 60 matches in a row but things haven't changed," Nadal said. "It's as usual. I just won the French Open."