- Rafa Nadal serves tennis fresh on the court
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Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a famous Spanish tennis player who has been ranked No. 1 in the world as of August 18, 2008.
He was born on June 3 of 1986 in the Balearic Island of Mallorca, located in the Mediterranean Sea just off of the coast of Spain, and began showing his tennis prowess at the young age of 5. Right away he found himself being coached by his uncle, famous Barcelona Soccer Player Miguel Angel Nadal. He progressed rapidly with daily practices and his self determination became evident when at age 8, he won the Balearic championships. In 2001, Nadal would enter the professional tennis world by winning for the first time a second-tier challenge event in Seville. He was just 15 and had also attained a Guinness world record that had previously belonged to famous German tennis player Boris Becker.
Rafael Nadal has made great achievements in his tennis career by defeating good tennis players and gaining tennis titles and awards. In 2005, he showed his clay-court ability as he claimed his first Masters Series event in Monte Carlo. His ease to play on clay courts earned him the nickname of the “King of Clay”, but he attempts to suit his game for grass and hard courts as well. From April 2005 to May 2007, Nadal went on to become the youngest player of tennis to be ranked in the classification of the Top 100 in the World, defeating previous World No. 1 and 12-time Grand Slam singles titlist Roger Federer, who was going for the Grand Slam career. Nadal won a record 81 consecutive clay court matches before being defeated by his constant opponent (who he once defeated) Federer in the 2007 Hamburg Masters final. At 18, he won the Davis Cup, which is the largest and most prestigious international men’s team event in tennis, in the Cup’s singles match category.
One curious aspect of Nadal is that although he is naturally right-handed, he plays stronger with his left hand. This move allows him to hit a strong two-handed backhand with a well-angled spin. His heavy strokes, combined with fast mobility and excellent defence allows Nadal to take his opponents out of their comfort zone. His aggressive style on the court, flowing hair and muscular build has made him a consistent favourite among tennis enthusiasts and with female fans as well. His relationship with his family keeps him grounded amid the constant attention of the media and despite his success and unarguable wealth, Nadal remains a humble family man at heart who still happily lives with his parents Ana Maria Parera, Sebastian Nadal and younger sister Maria Isabel in his home town in Mallorca.
In short, Rafael Nadal has won five Grand Slam singles titles and the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles. He has captured the last four French Open singles titles, joining Björn Borg in 2008 as the only men to have won four consecutive singles titles there. He also became the second Spaniard to win Wimbledon and received the prestigious Prince of Asturias Award for his achievements in sports. He is the only player that can claim to have won the French Open, the London Queen's club, and Wimbledon in the same year. Obviously, his star will continue to shine...
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