It was a joy, as always, to watch Nadal play tennis live. This time I was lucky to enjoy it from the first row as the company I’m working for were sponsoring Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart. What you could see after only the first few minutes of play, was that Nadal seemed to have his famous intensity back, he hit every ball with force and determination and despite having a few tough matches he seemed confident he would come out the winner. He did so in all his matches in Stuttgart and it was fun to see him lift the trophy, especially on grass, which in recent years has been his most difficult surface.
It was also a good omen for tennis, because the sports needs him, with all he’s accomplished and in the way he’s done it, he’s truly a living legend in the game.
Younger players could learn a lot from Nadal’s attitude:
- Always putting in the extra hours on the practice court.
- Playing it point-by-point and not the score.
- Trying to be a good sportsman and an ambassador for the sport.
I got the chance to talk a bit to Toni Nadal in Stuttgart (we played some pro-am doubles) and he strikes me as a humble, level-headed man. He’s known to have pushed Rafa hard, but has also given him solid values and an attitude that few can match. Kudos also to him for making Rafael into the Rafa we know.
Vamos!
