Rafael Nadal is a Spanish athlete, one of the most successful tennis players in history, judging by the number of awards and bonuses received.
Athlete Biography
Future tennis player Rafael Nadal was born on June 3, 1986 in Manacor. He is not the only child in the family. The parents of the tennis player were always far from sports, nevertheless they supported the aspirations of their son. Father - Sebastian Nadal - a successful businessman, the owner of a restaurant and insurance company. Mother is a housewife. The love of tennis for little Rafael instilled in his uncle Tony. He was also his first coach. Rafael’s second uncle is formerly the famous footballer Miguel ngel Nadal, who played for Mallorca and Barcelona. Rafael Nadal himself in his interviews has repeatedly stated that he is a fan of Real Madrid and Mallorca.
Early career
As a child, Rafael Nadal also played football. But practicing two sports at the same time was detrimental to the training of a young athlete. Then the father put the boy before the choice, and Raphael chose tennis.
At 15 he was already a professional player. And at the same age he gained his first victory. Thus, Nadal becomes the ninth player who managed to do this before reaching the age of 16.
In 2002, Nadal became a member of the youthful Wimbledon and reached the semifinals.
In 2003, he was among the 50 best tennis players on the planet.
Already at the age of 18 he is part of the youth national team of Spain, the winner of the Davis Junior Cup. After that, the career is rapidly going up.
In 2004, Rafael Nadal plays for the main team in the Davis Cup. The Spaniards won this tournament, and Nadal became the youngest player who could become the winner of this competition. At that time he was 18.
Rafael Nadal: matches that were remembered
- The victory over Andy Roddick (at that time - the first racket of the world) in the Davis Cup 2004. It was the final match, which decided whether the Spaniards or the Americans would get the trophy. The victory of Nadal allowed to celebrate the success of the Spanish national team with a total score of 3: 2.
- Victory over Roger Federer in 2006, in the final tournament in Dubai. In that season, only two people were able to beat the Swiss. These were Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.
- Victory over Federer in the finals of the French Open. This game was very difficult. The Spaniard only managed to beat Roger at a tie-break and thus became the first: he managed to beat Federer in the final match of the Grand Slam tournament.
Of particular note is the match against Federer in the Wimbledon finals. This game was called by many the greatest duel in history. Both athletes approached the meeting in great shape. The game lasted a very long time, and already in the dark Nadal won only in the fifth set.
Fights in the semifinals and finals of the 2008 Olympics are also significant in the career of a tennis player. They were defeated Novak Djokovic and Fernanado Gonzalez, respectively. Thus, Nadal became the first Olympic champion. After this victory, Rafael Nadal for the first time in his career topped the world ranking.
Nadal's worst enemy on the tennis court is Roger Federer. For a long time, tennis players shared among themselves the first line of the world ranking. But it should be noted that the rivals have always treated each other with great respect.
In the career of a tennis player there were a large number of excellent matches. But unfortunately, Nadal often gets injured - he has problems with his knees. If it were not for the injuries of the athlete, perhaps he would have become the best tennis player in the history of this sport. Nevertheless, he is already one of the strongest.
Nadal Rafael: rating
In world rankings, Nadal has never left the top ten strongest since getting into it. At the same time, for a long time he headed the top of the most powerful tennis players in the world.
At some point in time, only Nadal and Federer really claimed the first line. But when Novak Djokovic gained experience in large tournaments, he was able to break the hegemony of the Spaniard and Swiss. The last time Nadal headed the rating in 2013, after winning the US Open, as well as after the final of China Open.
Personal life of a tennis player and interesting facts about him
When Raphael was still a child, his parents separated. The boy was going through a difficult divorce, nevertheless, sport helped him cope with this trouble.
Once he was asked about faith in God, and he replied that he would like to believe in the existence of the Almighty, but this does not work out for him.
A tennis player owns shares of the Mallorca football club. He owns 10 percent. He even received an offer to become vice-president of the club, but the tennis player refused.
Nadal was one of six lucky people who were able to get into the locker room of the Spanish national football team after winning the 2010 World Cup.
A tennis player is an official of the Nike company and always appears in the clothes of this particular company. Rafa is adorned on his right sneaker, and the bull’s logo on his left.
Is Rafael Nadal married? The personal life of a tennis player has not yet become public. But all the same, everyone knows that he has been dating a girl since school years. Her name is Maria Perello Pascual. It is believed that she played an important role in the formation of Nadal as a person.
Participation in big tournaments
- Olympics 2008;
- participant in all Grand Slam tournaments;
- US Open;
- Roland Garros;
- Davis Cup.
Achievements
- Two wins at Wimbledon.
- Two wins at US OPEN.
- Winning the Australian Open (2009).
- The greatest number of victories in tournaments of the Masters series, in all history - 27.
- Four victories in the Davis Cup in the national team.
- He holds a record for the number of fights won on one surface (ground) - 81.
- Nine-time winner of Roland Garros.
- The owner of the Golden Helmet.