Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal (Parera), considered the star of Spanish tennis, was born in Manacor, Mallorca on June 03, 1986. His father Sebastian is a businessman managing his own restaurant and a window glass company, while his mother Ana Maria is a stay-at-home mom. Rafa, as he is nicknamed, developed his love for sports from his uncles. One of them is the retired soccer player Miguel Angel Nadal, known as the ‘The Beast of Barcelona,’ who has played for RCD Mallorca, FC Barcelona and Spain’s national team for the 1994, 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cups. His other uncle, Toni Nadal, was a former Spanish tennis pro.

Rafa played both football and tennis until he was twelve, which was when he decided to concentrate on the latter. He was a talented midfielder when he played football and he could have pursued that sport as a career on the other hand. But Uncle Toni, who has been his tennis coach ever since, advised him that he would achieve greater success in playing tennis. Now ranked as Number 2 in world male singles tennis, Rafa remains an avid fan of Spanish football, particularly of RCD Mallorca and Real Madrid. He is also a fan of fellow Spanish athlete, F1 driver Fernando Alonso, who holds the record for being the youngest two-time Formula One World Champion (in 2005 and 2006).

Rafael Nadal is naturally right-handed, but he plays with his left as trained by his Uncle Toni, who advised that this would benefit his two-handed backhand. Uncle Toni was obviously right about a lot of things. Early in 2001, at only 14 years old, Rafa played and won against Pat Cash in a last-minute clay-court match. He went professional at the age of 15, winning his first ATP match in 2002. By 2003, he was part of the World’s Top 50, winning two Challenger titles and scoring ATP’s Newcomer of the Year title. When he debuted at Wimbledon, he became the second-youngest player to reach the third round after Boris Becker in 1984.

Nadal didn’t enjoy as much court-action in 2004 though due to a stress fracture in his ankle. But he surprised the tennis world in 2005 with both a comeback and a breakthrough. The world finally took notice when the Spanish teenager pushed five sets with Lleyton Hewitt in the 2005 Australian Open. Since then, he has become a Grand Slam Champion for winning the singles title of the French Open three times straight from 2005 to 2007. He celebrated his 19th birthday by beating Number One tennis player Roger Federer in the semi-finals at Roland Garros. He had the record of 81 consecutive victories at the clay-court, from 2005 to 2007, until his winning streak was cut by Federer in the 2007 Hamburg Masters. Rafael Nadal ranks as World Number Two as of July 2005. He is the third tennis player below 20 to achieve that position after Boris Becker and Bjorn Borg.

Aside from his Uncle Toni, Rafael Nadal credits some of his training to another tennis great and fellow Mallorcan, Carlos Moya. Moya was a mentor to Nadal in the earlier part of the younger player’s career, and regularly played with him in practice matches. Nadal’s playing style is considered best-suited for clay courts, and his obvious dominance on this surface has led some to call him the ‘King of Clay.’ The strongest traits of his style include his two-handed backhand, his very powerful and accurate topspin groundstroke, and his amazing speed on the court. He also usually prefers playing from the deep court. Nadal is a very good defensive player. Because he is extremely agile, he makes hits on the run and makes offensive, winning strokes out of what looks like defensive counters.

Rafael Nadal is also known for wearing his trademark Capri pants during matches, along with sleeveless shirts and bandanas. Initially teased for this fashion statement, Rafa has quickly earned the respect of the sports world with his outstanding performances, even receiving the Newcomer of the Year title from the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.

Rafa still lives with his parents and younger sister Maria Isabel (Maribel) in their hometown of Manacor. Like most other people his age, he greatly enjoys hanging out with his friends in Mallorca and playing video games. He still plays soccer for fun, and does some golf and fishing too. He likewise dedicates some of his time to the Fundacion Iberostar, a charity that works to give equal opportunities to the disabled.