Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal was born in Manacor in Spain's Balearic Islands on 3rd June 1986. Nadal was first introduced to tennis by his uncle, Toni Nadal, a former professional tennis player, at the age of three. As a boy Nadal was a promising footballer as well as an exceptional tennis player, but his father made him choose between the two so that he would still have time to concentrate on his studies. Having won the Spanish and European titles in his age group, Nadal took the decision aged 12 to focus his efforts on tennis.

 

Nadal was asked by the Spanish Tennis Federation to leave his home in Majorca and move to Barcelona aged 14 but his family refused this request and, in order to continue with his schooling, he remained on the island. Nadal's refusal to send their protégé to the mainland meant that funding for his development would be limited and his father was forced to pick up most of the tab. Having taken an unconventional route in tennis, Nadal turned professional at the age of just 15, competing in the ITF junior circuit and reaching the Wimbledon boys semi-final in 2002.

A year later, Nadal was in the main draw at Wimbledon and he became the youngest man since Boris Becker to reach the third round. By the age of 19, Nadal had won his first Grand Slam by picking up the French Open at the first attempt; he would go on to win the tournament seven times in the next eight years. 

Away from Roland Garros, Nadal defeated Roger Federer to win his first Wimbledon title in 2008 and also won the Australian Open a year later. By 2010, Nadal had won all four Grand Slam tournaments and his consistency that year made him the first man since 1969 to win the US Open, Wimbledon and French Open in the same year. Nadal is third in the list of all-time Grand Slam winners behind Pete Sampras and his old rival Roger Federer. 

Rafael Nadal's game is clearly suited to clay courts. He likes to play behind the base line and is able to gain an incredible amount of topspin with his groundstrokes. Nadal works hard to get around the court, returning balls that are seemingly beyond him and constantly chasing lost causes. His tenacity, speed, and dedication allows him to win points that lesser players would have given up on.

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