Nadal: I'm not even Spain's greatest

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Rafael Nadal arrived back in Madrid yesterday after becoming only the seventh man to win all four Grand Slams, and immediately dismissed the idea that he was his country's greatest sportsman.

The 24-year-old, fresh from capturing his maiden US Open title by beating the Serb Novak Djokovic in Monday's final, said: "I think it's obvious I'm not the greatest. It would be tremendously arrogant of me. All athletes have their merits for what they have done in their sports."

Roger Federer, meanwhile, has dropped out of Switzerland's Davis Cup qualifier in Kazakhstan at the weekend, saying he needs time to recover from his exertions at the US Open, where he lost to Djokovic in the semi-finals.