His achievements, his triumphs, his defeats, his emotions, his injuries, his blows and his trophies are known, but Rafael Nadal is much more than that. It is everything that is not told: a sensation, a feeling, an inexplicable, an emotion that has crossed all areas of Spanish society. Doctors, writers, filmmakers, dancers and scientists describe this Nadal nailed to the skin. Standard Related News If you tennis | unrepeatable Rafa Nadal «Nadal adores his country, he has the flag of Spain attached to his life» Ángel Luis Menéndez standard Yes Tennis Nadal through his 50 most famous phrases Miguel ZarzaJoaquín de Luz Dancer and choreographer «The night I met him he stayed talking to us for 40 minutes» «I’ve always followed him and since 2007 I haven’t missed a match when I came to play the US Open. The night I met him he had played a fairly long game, but he still stayed talking to my partner and me. And he asked us questions about our feet because at that time he had a bad toe. I found him so close and it was a surprise, because people who are so big have to greet a lot of people and they can comply and that’s it. But he stayed for almost 40 minutes talking to us and then they even took us to the city in the official cars. Tremendous normality and generosity from minute one. «And I have another anecdote. My boss, the director of the New York City Ballet, who was Peter Martins at the time, was a big Federer fan. When Rafa and Roger played, neither he nor I went to rehearsal. Everyone knew it: if there is no sign of either Peter or Joaquín, it means they are watching the game together. Robert Soler Medical director of the Institute of Tissue Regenerative Therapy «Only he manages to keep me in front of the television for two hours» «I was outside Spain at an international medical congress where I presented our advances (tendon) and I finished my presentation early so I could see Rafa Nadal’s final at Roland Garros against Casper Ruud. It was 2022 and it was Rafa’s return after losing the previous year in the semifinals with Novak Djokovic, in what would be an advanced final. He had had two somewhat irregular years marked by injuries, which made it even more important to return to his favorite court to play in a final that ended up becoming his last title in Paris. Rafa achieved two things in me. One, that he watch tennis, which is a sport for which he did not feel a great affinity, and the second, that he spend more than ten minutes at a time watching television. Only Rafa managed to keep me in front of the television for two hours. Eva Villaver Deputy Director of the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands «’Congratulations,’ they told me; They associated me with that kid who won everything» «Rafa Nadal started winning everything when I lived in the United States. At that time I worked at the Hubble Scientific Institute and every morning we met for a little while, always at 10:30 for the Scientific Coffee. They talked about science almost exclusively, but the first time I heard about Nadal was there. They told me: ‘by the way, congratulations.’ And at that moment I was shocked because I didn’t know why. Just because I was Spanish they associated me with that kid who was winning everything. My perception is that someone like him has contributed to making us all look better outside and I admit that I have even seen a match since then. Inés la Maga «The magical thing happened there next door: the final between Nadal and Murray» «Is there Something more impossible than doing magic through the waves? In 2015 I had the opportunity to participate in a radio program that was broadcast directly from the Caja Mágica in Madrid on the occasion of the Mutua Madrid Open tournament. The magic I did happened in the homes of all the radio listeners who participated. Although the most magical thing for me happened next door… almost opposite where I was, the final was being played between Andy Murray and Rafa Nadal. While I was doing magic on the radio, they were doing magic on the court.” Luis Fernández-Vega Ophthalmologist “We lived his triumph as our own, and in the end, we hugged each other.” “Farewell to Rafael Nadal has led me to remember, with great emotion , the Wimbledon final on July 6, 2008, an unforgettable match where he defeated Roger Federer. That year the 84th National Congress of the Spanish Society of Ophthalmology was held in Seville. Since my obligations as a doctor and surgeon absorb all my time, that Sunday I was at the Fernández-Vega Ophthalmological Institute preparing the planning and presentations with my colleagues and my family, who work side by side with me. Initially, the match was just background music, but it soon became the center of our meeting. We were connected by Rafa’s determination, his faith in achieving his goal, his desire to always give his best and his trust in the team and family. We experienced his victory as our own and, after the final match, at half past ten at night, we hugged each other sharing his victory. We continued our work, driven by his spirit, until early morning. Excellence, the desire to improve, family, the team and the well-being of the patient are values that we have always shared with Nadal, whom I wish the best in his new stage.”Marta San Miguel Writer “Nadal is real, his muscles have marks, there are wrinkles, some moles»«The track always seems a little inclined. It’s a matter of perspective, that’s how it has to be if you want to see the entire surface of the clay on television. On the screen, that vision of the ground reminded me of the moment when you leave the sea and ascend the beach, only instead of a towel, in the background there was Nadal with his racket, his jumps, his muscles wanting to escape from his skin like the children waiting to digest before jumping into the water. That festive heat reverberates in every game I watched on TV. There is no melancholy, there is a vindication in every serve, in every skate along the baseline until a mound of sand is raised; It could be the beginning of a castle, but it is Nadal, there in the background, among the footprints of the sand, real and fictitious like memory. Until the day I had it in front of me. On the court Philippe Chatrier, Nadal and Alcaraz are playing to advance to the quarterfinals. It’s the Paris Olympics, but Paris knows it’s the last summer of its childhood. From the top of the press box stands, the track once again has that sloping aesthetic of the beach shore, and when the Spanish couple enters, the sea foam is the shaking hands of so many thousands. That day was Wednesday. In summer, when you are a child, the name of the day does not matter, because the days are something else. The game begins, but the threat of September weighs on Nadal’s backpack, and Alcaraz’s homework is unfinished. For the second set, the chronicles already have the headline in place. “How lucky to have seen Nadal’s last match in Paris,” someone tells me, and I react like when they did a trick on you. An hour later, when I have him in front of me in the mixed zone, Nadal is real, his muscles have marks, there are wrinkles, some moles, I sense a smell and a temperature, he speaks with the usual gesture, eyebrow raised, palpitates, sighs, chews the words. They are not on television. It is he before us. And yet, I think I hear the squawking of a seagull.”Juan Carlos Cortés Director of the Spanish Space Agency “It is more reliable than space technology!””I remember that Sunday in July 2008, I was on a mission and the lucky chance It was a coincidence that I had to make a transfer on my flight that coincided with Rafa Nadal’s match in the Wimbledon final. Despite the years, I perfectly remember the vibrant excitement of the entire room, Spaniards and foreigners followed the game without missing a single detail. Every time Nadal won a point, the room burst into applause and Rafa was not only and is a sporting phenomenon, he is also a champion in his human aspect, who captivates and wins over the public as soon as he goes out on the court. The game went on longer than expected and the tension was palpable. Finally, after almost five hours of epic play, Rafa Nadal lifted the trophy. I ran to avoid missing my flight and when I arrived at my destination my phone was full of congratulatory messages from my colleagues at the European Space Agency. I remember one of them in particular «what a great match!, Rafa is more reliable than space technology! (What a great game! Rafa is more reliable than space technology!)».Valentín Fuster Cardiologist and director of the CNIC «I guard his rackets and his conversations with great affection»«I have always had a very good relationship with Rafael Nadal, whom I admire deeply. I have two memories of him that I value very much: two rackets that he gave me. One of them is especially endearing; It’s from when he was 10 years old and he gave it to me during a tribute they gave me in Cardona, in which he had the honor of participating. The other was given to me in New York, after his participation in Roland Garros 2019. I keep them with great affection, like my conversations with him. Juan Gómez Jurado Writer “It is a living testimony of the unlimited potential of the human spirit” “Under the relentless sun of his Majorcan homeland, where clay courts whisper ancient stories of glory, Rafael Nadal emerged not only as a tennis player, but as a living testimony to the limitless potential of the human spirit. To me, who doesn’t care about tennis, I always felt when he saw him that his presence transcended the merely physical: here was a warrior-poet whose racket wrote epics on every surface. An eternal flame burned in his eyes, a sacred fire that transforms each point into a battle of mythological proportions. Whether in the face of triumph or adversity, his heart beats with the rhythm of a thousand drums, teaching us that true greatness does not reside in the shiny trophies, but in the dust and sweat of the arena. And I can understand that. His career has been a north star, illuminating the profound truth that limitations are mere illusions that we construct in our minds. Like a modern-day Sisyphus, Nadal has broken through physical barriers that would have broken less tempered spirits, rising again and again from the ashes of injury, his will free from mortal shackles. Perhaps his most magnificent victory, however, does not lie in his thunderous right blows or his tactical mastery, but in the dignity with which he carries his legend. Off the court, he walks among us not as a deity, but as a humble servant of the game, his greatness measured not in Grand Slams, but in the countless lives he has touched with his authenticity. Watching Nadal play is witnessing poetry in motion, a master class in resilience where each point tells a story of perseverance. It stands as an eternal reminder that greatness is not a destination but a daily choice: the choice to push harder, go further, and stay true to yourself despite the dizzying heights of success. In the great tapestry of sports history, Nadal’s legacy will be woven not only in the golden threads of victory, but in the indelible lessons he has taught us about the art of being human. He is more than a champion; “He is a philosopher of determination, a teacher of resilience and an eternal inspiration for generations to come.”
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