Rafael Nadal - The Story So Far
Family Background:
Rafael Nadal, the undisputed 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 whilst his mother Ana
Maria is a housewife.
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 played for RCD Mallorca,
FC Barcelona and Spain’s national team in the 1994, 1998 and 2002 FIFA World
Cups. His other uncle and trainer, Toni Nadal, was a former Spanish tennis pro.
Early Days:
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 well have pursued that sport as a career. However, 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
icon, 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 of age, 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.
A Star is Born:
Nadal didn’t enjoy as much court-action in 2004 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 forced
local hero , Lleyton Hewitt, to five sets in the 2005 Australian Open. Since then, he has
become a Grand Slam Champion winning the singles title of the French Open
four times times on the run from 2005 to 2008.
It was at Roland Garros that he celebrated his 19th birthday by
beating existing world number one, Roger Federer, in the semi-finals. He recorded 81 consecutive victories
on clay courts between 2005 and 2007 when his winning streak was finally ended by Federer
at the Hamburg
Masters. Rafael Nadal has ranked as World Number Two since July 2005. He was
only the third
ever tennis player under the age of 20 to achieve that position following in the
footsteps of Boris Becker and Bjorn
Borg.
On clay Rafa is the undisputed number one in the world, however, grass courts
proved to be a different matter. At Wimbledon in 2005 he went out in the 2nd round but
incredibly reached the final the following year where he lost to reigning
champion Roger Federer. In 2007 Federer won his 5th successive title against
Nadal after a five set thriller and the two met again in 2008 when Rafa won one
of the greatest ever grand slam finals.
In August 2008 Rafa won the gold medal in the men's singles tournament at the
Olympic Games in Beijing and was named the ATP's world number one replacing
Roger Federer who had been in the top ranking position for 237 weeks.
Playing Style:
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.’ However, his determination to succeed on
grass was rewarded with two runner up medals and a winners trophy at Wimbledon
in 2008.
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 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.
Personal Life:
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.
Useful Links:
Rafael
Nadal - This Wikipedia account is updated regularly with news of all Rafa's
recent matches and a chronological list of his Grand Slam and ATP Masters Series
victories.
Rafa Nadal
- Rafa's homepage on the web.
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