Rafael Nadal is one of the best tennis players of all time. He was born on June 3,
1986, and he has accomplished what few others have, including winning a record twelve Rolland
Garros titles. Tennis experts regarded him as one of the greatest players of all time,
alongside Roger Federer. Keep watching till the end of the video to discover
more about Rafael Nadal's personal and professional life using these facts.
Number 1. Rafael Nadal is naturally right-handed, in case you didn't know.
In every other aspect of his life, the most famous left-handed player in tennis right now
is a right-hander. Toni Nadal, his uncle and lifelong instructor,
noted that he was hitting two-handed forehands off both sides at a young age. After some tinkering,
his strong right-handed backhand was discovered to represent a real threat later in life. Playing
left-handed is now second nature to him. In one of his many talks on mentality and motivation,
Uncle Toni claims that he did not force his nephew and pupil to be left-handed, even though
he genuinely believed he was. Still, the tennis player signs with his right hand, eat with his
right hand and does everything with his right hand except play tennis. If someone tries to accomplish
anything with their "damaged" hand now, they will most certainly feel useless. How could Nadal hone
that skill? It's easier when you're young. Patterns in biomechanics have yet to emerge.
Number 2. At 12 years old, he opted for tennis over soccer.
Nadal was a brilliant soccer player growing up on the Balearic island of Majorca,
off the eastern coast of Spain. Miguel Angel, his uncle, was known as "The Beast" during his long
playing career with RCD Mallorca and FC Barcelona and has represented Spain in three World Cups.
Soccer or tennis had to be chosen at some point. When Nadal was 12,
he decided to stake his sporting destiny as an independent proprietor,
shouldering all of the possible obligations and glories on his shoulders. While it's impossible
to say how good he could have been on the field, most people believe he made the right choice.
Number 3.On the Court
He's committed to Babolat but not to cutting-edge racquet technology. When it comes to his racket
setup, he, like many other top tennis players, is adamant about not changing it. He's been using a
customized version of the Babolat Aero Pro Drive racquet for several years, even though Babolat no
longer makes that racquet. He has a smaller grip than the average player, but he makes up for it
by employing two overgrips in most circumstances. He will occasionally change his grip, especially
if he is experiencing blisters. His racquet is colored to look like the newest model in the line,
yet he has played with a very similar racquet throughout his professional career.
Number 4. One of the youngest players ever to win
an ATP match and defeat a Grand Slam Champion at 15 years old.
Nadal stunned the tennis world by defeating Pat Cash in an exhibition match.
The 1987 Wimbledon champion was retired, but he continued to compete in various tournaments
across the world. Nadal won the first match of his career against Ramon Delgado in Majorca in
April 2002. He became the ninth player in open-era history to win an ATP match before reaching 16.
When you are seeded sixth in a competition at a young age, you must be unique, and Rafael Nadal
proved that he was by winning his first title. Nadal, a future 20-time Grand Slam winner,
advanced by defeating Argentina's Franco Squillari and Spain's Felix Mantilla.
After defeating Jose Acasuso 6-3, 6-4 in the final, he won his first title.
Number 5. He has a lot of superstitions.
There are several examples of Nadal's superstition, but his fixation on lining up all
of his water bottles while playing is remarkable. It's evident in person and on camera that he
lines them up perfectly between each shift. Despite his superstition, Nadal did add a watch
to his on-court attire in 2010. He wore a twin wristband on each wrist just before the change.
While the precise amount has not been confirmed, the Richard Mille watch is said to be worth over
$500,000.Rafael Nadal expressed his thoughts on the deeds he would have to perform before, after,
and during the matches when world No. 2 said, "It means I'm concentrated when I do these things. I
placed the two bottles at my feet, one in front of the other, in a diagonal direction from the field,
in front of my chair on my left. It's called superstition by some, but it's not. Why would
I keep repeating the same thing again and over, regardless I win or lose, if it was superstition?
It's a means of putting myself in the right situation, of arranging my surroundings to
reflect the order I'm seeking in my thoughts. It's something you get into as a habit, almost
like a routine. When I accomplish these things, it shows that I'm attentive and conscientious.
Number 6. Only two players have ever won the Career Golden Slam.
A career Golden Slam is achieved when an athlete wins each of the four Grand
Slams and a Paralympic or Olympic gold medal. Andre Agassi of the United States and Rafael
Nadal of Spain have won career Grand Slams in men's singles. Nadal has a career golden slam,
giving him an advantage over his primary adversaries, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
He not only has won each grand slam championship at least once, but he also owns an Olympic gold
medal in singles. During the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, he was able to win the gold
medal. The Tour Finals, which occur at the end of the year, is the only major tournament Nadal
has yet to win. He has finished second twice but has yet to win his first championship.
Number 7. Only three players have a winning record over Nadal.
Rafael Nadal has played nearly 1,000 matches against hundreds of opponents in his career.
Due to his dominance on all three surfaces, as well as his unprecedented dominance on clay,
almost no one on the planet can claim to have beaten him virtually no one, that is,
except his first-round opponent at the U.S. Open on Monday night, 18-year-old Borna Coric.
Only three players have an advantage over Nadal in career matchups, and one of them
took advantage of a young Spaniard. Dominik Hrbaty is 3-1 against him all-time, but the last time
they met was in 2005. With a 6-5 record against Nadal, Nikolay Davydenko retired from tennis.
Finally, Novak Djokovic has a 28-26 win-loss record against Rafael Nadal.
Number 8. There is a reason why he is called the King of Clay
Tennis courts are divided into two categories. One is the natural grass court, which appears green,
and the other is the clay court, which appears reddish-brown. Rafael Nadal has been dubbed the
"King of the Clay" due to his outstanding clay-court record. In total, he has won
90 clay-court titles. Nadal has dominated this surface for the past 14 years in a way that no
one else has. He has a problematic track record of accepting. He's been breaking records that appear
to be made up, and he's posted video clips on the internet that look like they came straight out of
a video game. Rafael Nadal is the only player who has dominated the game of tennis on clay courts.
But that isn't his superior strength. Rafael Nadal learned to play tennis on clay in his early years.
In a sense, he didn't, but he spent most of his youth playing tennis on it. His game was
constantly tweaked to make it work best on the red surface. These are excellent combinations on clay
courts, massive topspin forehands, mind-blowing defense, and a position path behind the gauge.
The best way to play on a clay court Tennis is all about perseverance. Great clay courters have been
known to hit more than 100 shots without losing power or core interest. Nadal is in the same
boat. He is, without a doubt, the best at it. On a clay court, his ability to restore each shot with
interest demonstrates how predictable he is. This is why he is referred to as the King of Clay!!
Number 9. Every trophy gets the same signature bite
Many people were taken aback when he won his first French Open in 2005 and saw his unique
celebration when he was presented with the trophy and began getting pictures taken. It's
a tradition he continues to this day, gently biting each trophy in front of the cameras.
Number 10. The Spanish Tennis Federation didn’t support him like other players
Spain wanted him to begin training in Barcelona as a teenager to take his
game to the next level. Because his family refused to pursue this path,
they were never given the same level of funding as other top players in the country.
Nadal's family was convinced that moving to Barcelona would jeopardize his education.
Number 11. He has a commanding lead in head-to-head matches against Roger Federer
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have a modern-day tennis rivalry known as the Federer Nadal rivalry.
Federer and Nadal have played 40 times, with Nadal winning the overall head-to-head 24–16
and 14–10 in the finals. Twenty of their 40 matches have been played on hard court, 14
on outdoor hard court, six on indoor hard court, 16 on clay, and four on grass. Federer has a 3–1
advantage on grass and a 5–1 advantage on an indoor hard court. Nadal has a 14–2 advantage
on clay and an 8–6 advantage on an outdoor hard court. There have been 14 significant matches,
with Nadal leading 10–4. At the French Open, Nadal is 6–0, and at the Australian Open,
he is 3–1. At Wimbledon, Federer is 3–1. In the US Open, the two have yet to meet.