Rafael Nadal: The Tennis Phenomenon and the Modest Young Man from Mallorca

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at Internationaled.org

Published: October 30, 2010

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Rafael Nadal is the current world number one. He has won nine Grand Slam titles and at 24, is the youngest in the Open Era to complete the career slam. In fact, he has completed the career golden slam.

He has achieved the European double twice. He has won three consecutive Grand Slam titles this year and could make history by making it four in a row if he wins the Australian Open 2011. He is undoubtedly the Tennis Phenomenon of this era. But what is more remarkable is that this extraordinary tennis genius is also the modest well-mannered young man from Mallorca.

While on court, he is a fierce competitor but he has never smashed any rackets or hurled abuses at the linespeople or the umpires. Off-court, he is a shy and humble young man. He lives with his parents in Mallorca and he will tell you that he loves his mother, his sister and his girlfriend. A perfect role model for the new generation.

If the media people ask him if he is the greatest claycourter, he will remind them that that title belongs to Bjorn Borg. You point to his amazing haul of Grand Slam titles by age 24 and his remarkable h2h record against Roger Federer and try to proclaim him as the greatest. He vehemently denies the appellation.

He tells you that Roger Federer is the greatest and that you know nothing about tennis. He asks the rhetorical question, "You see the titles of him and you see the titles of me?" 

He does not tell you that he is going to surpass Roger someday. Oh no, he humbly tells you, "The titles say he is much better than me and that's the truth at the moment. I think that will be true all my life."  

So amazing is this modesty in an age of self-centred arrogant superstars that some are tempted to consider it a facade. Is he too good to be true?

I am inclined to believe that with this young man, what you see is what you get. We k...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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