Rafa Nadal, a natural-born winner
Posted on July 26, 2008
Filed Under Player of the week
Rafael Nadal definitely has what it takes to become the new world champion of tennis. Born and raised in a family of champions, the potential new number 1 grew up on the Balearic Island of Majorca, with the winner mentality of his role model, uncle Miguel Angel, who was a three-time member of the Spanish national World Cup soccer team (1994, 1998 and 2002) and was nicknamed the Beast of Barcelona when he played elite-league competition.
Uncle Rafael also played second-division soccer and some tennis, while uncle Toni, who is Nadal’s tennis coach, played soccer and was a good tennis player, ranked top 30 in Spain at one point. Uncle Toni also was the teaching pro at the local club in Manacor.
It was there that future four-time French Open champion Nadal first hit tennis balls at the age of 3.
“I could tell right away he had a good talent for tennis,” Toni said this week in French, a language he prefers to English. “At 5 and 6, he played well for his age.”
“I knew he had a chance to be really good when he won the championships [at two years younger than his age category] of our islands from 8 until he was 12. That was incredible because nobody had done that.”
Uncle Toni, 48, was the first in his family to play tennis and one day asked the aspiring soccer star Nadal to try tennis.
According to uncle Toni’s sayings, at first, Nadal hit with two hands on both sides. But his uncle coach decided that his young disciple should play left-handed.
“He was left-footed for soccer, so I thought he would also be left-handed for tennis,” Toni said. “Also, he hit a little harder with his left hand than his right. I thought he should play tennis with his left hand. But it is true, the only thing Rafael does with his left hand is play tennis.”
Three years ago Nadal was asked on what his dream was. His straight answer: “It is to win Wimbledon, no?” No one would have taken him seriously at that point of time. But his winner mentality and his constant commitment to learning helped his game to improve a lot in the last couple of years. His serve became more and more solid and his backhand, which was not a weapon, is one of the most important tools in his arsenal.
A front-runner at the Rogers Cup in Toronto after top-ranked Roger Federer’s unexpected elimination in the first round, Rafa Nadal claimed the last two Grand Slams and has the chance to become the holder of three major titles and put an end to Federer’s supremacy in case be wins the US Open in August 2008.
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