Nobody expected Rafael Nadal to win the first two majors of 2022. The Spanish phenomenon, who had played just seven official tournaments last year, left everyone speechless as he triumphed at the Australian Open and Roland Garros.
The 36-year-old Majorcan reiterated that he is an absolute legend of the sport and has hoisted himself at 22 Grand Slams. Novak Djokovic narrowed the gap by winning his seventh Wimbledon title, while Roger Federer is still in the pits after undergoing yet another knee operation.
Rafa will have a great chance to stretch further at the US Open, given that Nole will hardly be able to travel to the United States next month (not being vaccinated against Coronavirus). It took the Iberian a few weeks to recover from his abdominal injury and has already returned to work.
The former world number 1 will return to the field in Montreal, with the aim of refining his preparation for the US Open. During a promotional event organized by the Spanish airline ‘Iberia’, Nadal gave some advice to the younger ones.
Rafa Nadal is a true icon
During the excellent interview he gave to the airline Iberia, Rafael Nadal, after giving his definition of talent, talking about a potential career as a coach and paying a nice tribute to his uncle Toni, this time revealed the advice he would give himself if he were a teenager.
“I’m not used to giving advice, but I always say that to be a professional or to dedicate your life to something, you have to put other things aside. My career has always been a priority, but that hasn’t stopped me from hanging out with my friends and having fun, doing the things that a normal young person does, even if I do them less often.
This is the advice I would give to young people: remember to have fun, fight for your dreams and surround yourself with good people. This is what we try to do daily with them at the structure.” Toni Nadal has had a significant role in the making of Rafael Nadal.
The latter’s uncle guided him in tennis when the 22-time Grand Slam champion was just 4 years old. “I’ve seen reports in the news media saying that Toni forced me to play left-handed, and that he did this because it would make me harder to play against.
Well, it’s not true. It’s a story the newspapers have made up. The truth is that I began playing when I was very small, and because I wasn’t strong enough to hit the ball over the net, I’d hold the racquet with both hands, on the forehand as well as the backhand”.
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