Name: Rafael Nadal Parera
Birthdate: 3-Jun-86
Birthplace: Manacor, Mallorca
Residence: Manacor, Mallorca
Height: 6'1'' (185 cm)
Weight: 188 lbs (85 kg)
Plays: Left-handed
Turned Pro: 2001
Coach: Toni Nadal
Current ATP Ranking: 2
Singles Record: 309 - 73
Singles Titles: 30
ATP Rankings: # 2 // 6305 pts
ATP 2008 Race: # 1 // 1055 pts

- often referred to as 'Rafa', 'The King of Clay', 'The Raging Bull'

- parents are Sebastián Nadal & Ana Maria Parera

- he has one sister, Maria Isabel "Maribel" Nadal

- has been dating Maria Francisca "Xisca" Perello, a friend of his sister's,
for 3 years now and they've known each other since he was 5 years old

- he's a fanatic soccer fan and supports Real Madrid

- his uncle, Miguel Ángel Nadal, was a professional footballer who played
for RCD Mallorca, FC Barcelona, and for the Spanish national football team;
he was often nicknamed 'the Beast of Barcelona'

- though he plays left-handed, he's naturally right-handed

- good friends with among others Iker Casillas, who plays for the Spanish
national football team, Carlos Moya (tennis player and Nadal's mentor when
he was young) and Feliciano Lopez (tennis player).

- known for his unconventional wear, turning up in sleeveless tops
and Capri pants in a variety of colours.

- his shoes have the famous "Vamos Rafa" slogan written on the back
of them.

- won his first professional ATP match at age 15; he was only the ninth
player in Open Era to win an ATP match before his 16th birthday

- he broke Mats Wilander’s previous teenage record of 9 titles in 1983
as Rafa won eleven in 2005 at 19.

- finished 2006 unbeaten on clay (26-0)

- he was only the second 16-year-old player to break into the top 100
in the ATP entry system, after Michael Chang (June 6, 1988)

- in his Wimbledon debut, he reached the third round; at 17, he was the
youngest player to do so since 16-year-old Boris Becker in 1984.

- he claimed his first Grand Slam title at the French Open, in Paris, where
he became the second player after Mats Wilander to win in his first try

- at 19 years, 1 month and 22 days, he has become the third teenager
in history (since 1973) to reach No. 2 in the INDESIT ATP Entry Ranking,
joining Boris Becker (18 years, 9 months, 17 days) and Bjorn Borg (18
years, 10 months, 2 days) as the only teenagers to be ranked No. 2

- claimed his fourth consecutive title in Roland-Garros in 2008, tying
Bjorn Borg's record

- became first Spaniard to win the championship at All England Club
since Manuel Santana in 1966

- he is 115-2 on clay since the beginning of 2005

- he is the all-time best 22-1 lifetime in clay court finals

- in 2008, he followed in Rod Laver's and Bjorn Borg's footsteps to win
both Roland Garros and Wimbledon back-to-back

- one of the youngest players ever to have won five Grand Slams

- has second-best winning percentage (.793) in finals in Open Era

...

sources: sportsline.com & atptennis.com

WINNER: ATP MASTER SERIES MONTE CARLO, ATP MASTER SERIES HAMBURG, ATP MASTER SERIES TORONTO,
BARCELONA, LONDON /QUEEN'S CLUBG, ROLAND GARROS*, WIMBLEDON*

FINALS: ATP MASTER SERIES MIAMI, CHENNAI

SEMI-FINALS: INDIAN WELLS, AUSTRALIAN OPEN*, ATP MASTER SERIES CINCINNATI

QUARTER FINALS: DUBAI

*Grand Slam

more detailed here

~

"...Now we were watching an exuberant Nadal, flag in hand, hugging family members, climbing into the Royal Box to shake hands with Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Spain. From Wimbledon to the streets of London, this was a great moment, a moment of transition in men’s tennis and transformation in one player’s life. No one for a moment doubted Nadal’s mettle. He had waged tremendous battles here, but had never beaten the great Roger Federer here.

Until now.

On this rainy, gusty Sunday afternoon, then evening, a young man had grown, in stature and legend...

Rafael Nadal, the prince, had become Wimbledon’s king."

- nytimes


credit to rafaaydin @ vamosbrigade


- QUOTES -

“I always wanted to be honest with myself and to those who have had faith in me.”

“The only way of finding a solution is to fight back, to move,
to run, and to control that pressure.”

“I am a little bit more famous now, but I have [some change] in my life.
I live in the same place. I have the same friends.”

“It wasn't the best moment to lose my serve.”

on Federer: “Look at his points. He is the No 1. That is
all there is to say. He is there to be beaten.”

"It's not only in one place, no? I have pain here...
In my famous ass." *press laughs*

"Winning a Grand Slam is very difficult: on grass, on clay ... on ice."

"I feel that we have to think about others. We’re lucky that everything is going so
well for us. We have to do something back for society. We’re lucky that we have a
good life and that we can do something that we like doing. Everything went our
way so we have to help people who are less fortunate."

"I was thinking : if I have to lose the set, lose 6/2, not 6/0, no?!"

"I'm 22. I'm no longer a young player, a young promising
player. I'm not a promising player anymore. Too bad."

Q: When you're fishing (at home in Majorca), what do you fish for?
Rafa: Fishes.

"His self-effacement, lack of self-indulgence and sheer joy at the
life he is leading make him a refreshing antidote."
- A. Kervin, The Times

"To say that three-time Roland Garros champion
Nadal is a humble guy is an understatement."
- Inside Tennis

“Rafa was a very enthusiastic young kid that loved sport. I have always said
I like the passion in things. I do not like to see people who don’t have a passion for
what they do — this is what Rafa has, ever since he was small, and the intention
was to realize that potential.”
- Toni Nadal

"He seems to be only getting better."
- John McEnroe

"Watching Nadal is like turning on an electric light."
- Santana

"It did not surprise me that he had the mental strength to
gather himself for the fifth, but this was still an incredible
match to win. We have a new king of tennis."
- Boris Becker

"But it's unbelievable how he puts so much pressure on an
opponent. They must think, "What I got to do, hit three lines to win a point?"
We can learn from that and put it in our tennis."
- Ana Ivanovic

"He makes his brain work more than his legs.
He's the smarter player on the tour. "
- Mats Wilander

"What Nadal has done on clay over the past three years is nothing short of remarkable.
To be as dominant as he has been, winning 100 out of 101 matches! That's one of the greatest achievements in the history of tennis,
and I don't feel like it is recognized to the extent it deserves."
- Pete Sampras

“Personally I'd hope so because he's a great guy. What he's done, how he
plays on all surfaces, he deserves to be world No.1. There's no doubt that
his name should be up there with the greats of the game.''
- Lleyton Hewitt

"What he did to (Roger) Federer in the final of Roland Garros, isn't something any other tennis
player in the earth would do. Rafa destroyed Roger at France and later earned the Wimbledon
title, which is far from his favorite surface. I believe that was an extraordinary effort.
Nadal definitely deserves to be #1 in the world."
- Lleyton Hewitt

"I'm not as familiar with mental requirements for other sports, but I
can't believe there could be an athlete better (mentally) than Nadal."
- Jarkko Nieminen

“He's probably still one of the best players of all time
and he's never been No. 1 in the world.That's incredible, and it shows incredible
heart that he's kept the No.2 ranking for so long. It shows incredible kind of
mental fortitude to keep pushing, keep getting better, keep striving for that No. 1
ranking. He's proven he's, by far, the greatest No. 2 of all time.”
- James Blake

Look, I’m not sure if it’s just his forehand. Let’s say it’s more his movement than
anything else. His forehand and backhand [it] seems are never going to break
down really, especially on clay. I can’t see people talking about his backhand
being a weakness. It’s amazing what kind of pace he can get off the backhand
and how good his slice has become. People underestimate his game entirely.
- Roger Federer

“You know, there's so many different ways to assess speed. You got guys that are
tremendously fast, but they only use their speed defensively, then you really don't
care about how fast they are because they're only going to have to run more. You
got other guys that can use their speed offensively, but if you get them on the
defence they can't hurt you on the stretch, so you can take a point over early and
they can be fast but never turn a point around. Nadal has the ability to run as fast
as the best of 'em, but on the stretch actually hurt you. You know, he can
transition those points into offence. That makes you sort of walk on egg shells.
He draws out errors that I think normally you wouldn't make against any other
player, which is a credit to the way he plays the game”
- Andre Agassi

“Nadal is marking an epoch. No other player has done what he has done.
It is normal that the rest of us are put a bit on one side. I even think it is good for
us, as that way we try to follow, even just a little, in his footsteps."
- David Ferrer

"Rafael Nadal is the one that amazes me most: his determination and
power are unique. I had the opportunity to practise with him when he was
15 years old and he seemed like a real veteran with the power he had. At
some time he will be the number one. Rafa is the Ronaldinho of tennis and
we’re not finished hearing about him"
- Gustavo Kuerten

"It's impossible not to be motivated by him.....
He motivates every one of us."
- Tommy Robredo

"We feel very proud with having the number one and although it is
impossible to reach his level we will try."
- David Ferrer

"Rafa is a great person. Mind, I’m soaping him because I want to win
when I play Playstation with him tonight.”
- Nicolas Almagro

08/11 Olympics

08/25 New York US Open (H)

09/15 Davis Cup Semifinal*

09/22 Bangkok Thailand Open (IH) ??

10/13 Mutua Madrilena Masters Madrid (IH)

10/27 Paribas Masters (IS)

11/10 Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai (IS)

11/17 Davis Cup Final


~

"This year’s Wimbledon tournament was full of teenage girls
screaming at the sight of a sweat-soaked Rafa in a c t i o n.
With his Mediterranean good looks and muscular
frame, he is a huge hit with the ladies. Throw in his
bulging bank balance and he could take his pick of models."

- N. Francis, The Sun