Rafael nADAL
Rafael Nadal is a Spanish professional tennis player who was born on June 3rd, 1986. He is currently ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and is the only Spanish tennis player to win a grand slam tournament. Nadal won 17 Grand Slam singles titles and also the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles. After Andre Agassi, he is the second male player to complete the singles Career Golden Slam, which is achieved when a player wins all four Grand Slam tournaments and the Olympic gold medal during his/her career. Nadal is one of the two players who have won at least two Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces (hard court, grass, clay). |
Rafa's uncle Toni Nadal, who is a former professional tennis player, introduced him to the tennis world when he was only 3 years old. Recognizing his natural talent for tennis, his uncle became his long-time coach. When he was only 10, Toni realized that he was able to play forehand shots with two hands and made him play left-handed to have a natural advantage on the tennis court.