Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal is a Spanish tennis player whose sports biography is replete with a large number of awards and titles. The Olympic champion in singles and doubles, the holder of 2nd place in the ranking of the most titled winners of Grand Slam tournaments, among colleagues and fans received the nickname King of the Ground.
Childhood and youth
Rafael Nadal Parera was born on June 3, 1986 in the Spanish city of Manacor, on the island of Mallorca, in a wealthy family. Father Sebastian was a private entrepreneur, mother Anna Maria was engaged in raising children. Among the relatives of Raphael were also athletes, local celebrities.
As a child, Rafael was seriously interested in football, which has always been a popular sport among children and youth of Spain. His uncle became his idol, and his beloved clubs – his native “Mallorca” and “Real Madrid”. No one doubted that Nadal would make an athlete’s career.
At the age of 4, Uncle Antonio, better known as Tony, gave his nephew his first tennis racket. A new sport so fascinated the boy that he began to combine football and tennis. His coach was Uncle Tony, who then worked in a children’s tennis club.
There came a time when the passion for two sports led to a decrease in school performance. Father set a condition for Rafael – to choose one thing for classes. The guy stayed on the tennis court.
Tennis
At the age of 8, Rafael Nadal won the regional tennis championship, and by the age of 12 he won the champion title in all Spanish and European competitions.
At the age of 15, Nadal moved to the professional league, where in the first year he achieved considerable success. At 16, he became the semifinalist of the Wimbledon junior tournament, and 2 years later he won the victory for the Spanish national team in the Davis Cup. In subsequent years, Nadal’s sports career developed rapidly. The guy participated in all world tournaments, taking prizes.
The phenomenal victory at the French championship lifted Rafael to 3rd place in the world ranking of tennis players. And the subsequent 16 victories in the same season made him number 2. At the end of the season, the athlete injured his leg, which was why he was forced to miss the Australian Open in 2006 and a number of other competitions. Injury could cause great harm to the career of a tennis player, but his coach found a way to restore leg performance.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer
2008 was the peak of a tennis player’s career. He easily won the French Open. He later ran into Roger Federer at this year’s most anticipated tournament – Wimbledon.
Tennis players met in the final, which lasted all day. In a difficult fight, Rafael still managed to defeat a longtime rival and take 1st place in the tournament and in the list of the best tennis players this year. The Beijing Olympics brought Nadal another big victory and his first gold in a similar competition.
For several years, the athlete was able to maintain high ranking positions with varying success. In 2017, at the French Open, Nadal for the 10th time won the singles. The jubilee title was especially noted by the tennis player’s sponsor – luxury watch brand Richard Mille released a new model of the chronometer, which the athlete used during the tournament.
Rafael builds not only an individual career, but also promotes tennis among young people. In his native Manacor, on the territory of his own training base, the star of the court organized the Tennis Academy, where young athletes get the opportunity to combine training with the best coaches in the world and academic education.
An additional line that replenishes the budget of Raphael, in addition to rewards for victories in international tournaments, is advertising. The athlete has an athletic figure – with a height of 185 cm, his weight does not exceed 85 kg, which manufacturers of men’s clothing and underwear could not fail to notice.
Tennis player for many years represents the brand Nike. In 2011, Nadal starred in a commercial for lingerie Emporio Armani, where Megan Fox became his partner in the frame. Later, the athlete appeared in the video of the American clothing brand Tommy Hilfiger and in the presentation of Kia car models. In 2018, the Babolat commercial with Nadal’s participation appeared on the athlete’s personal page on Instagram.
In his personal life, Rafael Nadal is distinguished by an enviable constancy. In 2005, he began dating a girl, Maria Francesco Perello, whom he met thanks to his sister Alice.
Young people at one time hid the novel from journalists, but over time, the press began to notice the mother of the athlete in the company of Mary. The girl works in an insurance company and rarely accompanies the chosen one at the championships.
