After his retirement from tennis in November at the last Davis Cup in Malaga, Rafa Nadal has used the portal Players’ Tribune to write a letter in which he opens to emphasize some chapters of his career in an emotional piece of writing. The environment is frequented by great athletes, who are given a speaker so that they can delve deeper into their more personal side. Firstly, the manacorí delves into its beginnings. At the age of 12, he had a great love for fishing and one day when he practiced it, he learned a valuable lesson from his uncle Toni, his coach for most of his career.
“One day, I went out fishing when I could have been training. The next day, I lost the match. I remember I was crying in the car on the way home, and my uncle, who at that age had a big influence on me, and who made me fall in love with tennis, said to me: “It’s okay, it’s just a tennis match.” . Don’t cry now, it doesn’t make sense. If you want to fish, you can fish. No problem. But you’re going to lose. If you want to win, then you have to do what you have to do first,” says the Mallorcan.
Injuries were always his biggest obstacle. “I was injured when I was 17 and was told I would probably never play professional tennis again. I learned that things can end in an instant. It wasn’t just a small fracture in my foot, it was a disease. A disease without a cure, it could only be managed: Müller-Weiss Syndrome. What does that mean? You go from the greatest joy to waking up the next day without being able to walk. I spent many days at home crying, but it was a great lesson in humility,” details the 22-time Grand Slam winner.
Nadal has always stood out for his management of feelings and his resilience on the court. However, not everything was so easy. “For 30 years, the image I conveyed to the world was not always what I felt inside. Honestly, I’ve always been nervous before every game I’ve played; that never goes away. Every night before a game, I went to bed feeling like I could lose. In tennis, the difference between players is very small, and between rivals, even more so. When you go out on the court, anything can happen, so all your senses must be awake, alive.”
“For most of my career I was good at controlling those emotions… with one exception. I went through a very difficult time, mentally, a few years ago. I was very used to physical pain, but there were times on the court when I had trouble controlling it. control my breathing and I couldn’t play at the highest level. I have no problem saying it now. After all, we are human beings, not superheroes (…) What makes me most proud is that, even though I struggled, I never gave up. I always gave my best, deepened the manacorí.
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Another aspect present in the letter are some of the best memories of his career. “There are many moments of joy that I will never forget. The Davis Cup in 2004, Roland Garros in 2005, Wimbledon in 2008, my first US Open and when I closed the circle of the Grand Slam tournaments in Melbourne. And I don’t forget those tournaments like Madrid and Barcelona in my country, or Indian Wells or Cincinnati, the beautiful Monte Carlo… I feel full of incredible memories. However, you can never stop pushing yourself. (…) That’s how I became a better player.”
The Mallorcan has always relied on his surroundings and has taken them as an example both on and off the track. “Deep down, when all is said and done, you get what you give. I hope my legacy is that I always tried to treat others with deep respect. This was my parents’ golden rule. When I was a child, my father always told me: “Inventing is difficult, copying is much easier.” He didn’t talk about tennis. He was talking about life. Look around you and notice the people you admire. How they treat people. What do you like about them? Act like them, and you will probably live a happy life. (…) I was not fueled by hatred towards my rivals, but by deep respect and admiration,” confesses the double Olympic gold medalist.
Nadal concludes the writing by analyzing what he gave for what he received during his tennis career: “For more than 30 years I have given everything I could to this game. In return, I have received joy and happiness. Joy and happiness, love and friendship, and much more…”
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