Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parerais a Spanish professional tennis player currently ranked world No. 4. He is widely regarded as the greatest clay-court player in history, and owing to his dominance and success on the surface, he has been titled "The King of Clay". His evolution into an all-court threat has established him as one of the greatest players in tennis history, with some considering Nadal to be the greatest player of all time...
NationalitySpanish
ProfessionTennis Player
Date of Birth3 June 1986
CityManacor, Spain
CountrySpain
I dont have good luck in the match points.
I'm only superstitious on the tennis court.
With Almagro, boy, that'll be a tough match. He's playing at a very high level right now and he hits the ball hard.
It's important to have people around you with enough confidence to say if you are not acting in a good way. Normally, when you are at the top, people say everything is fantastic. Probably in that moment it is what you want to hear, but it's best to be reminded how to act properly.
If you don't lose, you cannot enjoy the victories. So I have to accept both things.
You fight, you try your best, but if you lose, you don't have to break five racquets and smash up the locker room. You can do those things, but when you've finished, nothing's changed. You've still lost. If something positive came from that, I probably would do it. But I see only negativity.
I'm ambidextrous when I eat. But playing tennis right-handed - I can't do it. I'm clueless.
I started to travel like this at the age of 15 so for me, it's normal. Some days you get tired and you feel, 'I want to stay at home a little bit more,' but it's only the moment.
I just was in the second round. That's painful, because always is tough to lose, but well, that's sport. You win, you lose.
I think when you compete every week, when you play under pressure daily, you find your rituals to be 100 percent focused on what you're doing.
I always like to do the things that I think are right. I am not trying to be a model, I am trying to be myself and do the right things. If what I am doing is a model, or is an example, is the right example, I am very happy, but I don't pretend that.
The family is very important. They make me feel good always because if I won, when I started to be famous, the relationship never changed with my friends and family.
I have been learning English on the road since I started when I was 15, so it is a slow process but making some progress. Now I think I am much more comfortable with my English. However, it is difficult, still, when I speak about something that is not tennis.
I'm lucky enough to do what I like for work - not everyone's that fortunate.