I’ve always had great admiration for elite athletes, and Tennis star Rafael Nadal is certainly one of the very best. As a spectator, I’m in awe of his intensity and incredible concentration on the court; but it was learning about his persona off the court that really captured me. Rafa Nadal is a rare breed of athlete who handles fame with the ultimate grace, dignity and quintessential class.
Watch him on Centre Court at Wimbledon or Arthur Ashe Stadium at the U.S Open, and you see a warrior like no other. Like any champion, his biggest battle is often the one between his ears, “What I battle hardest to do in a tennis match is to quiet the voices in my head, to shut everything out of my mind but the contest itself and concentrate every atom of my being on the point I am playing. If I made a mistake on a previous point, forget it; should a thought of victory suggest itself, crush it.”
Nadal is a mega brand build by design and acclaimed journalist John Carlin gives you a rare look…