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Rafa on L'Uomo Vogue

11/22/2010Rafaholics




A portrait of the best tennis player in the world

Twenty-four year old Rafael Nadal Parera, or more simply "Rafa", has won so many tennis titles that even the biggest sporting ego would be contented.

Literary critics see him as the incarnation of the concept of Dionysus, the God of terrestrial passions and enthusiasm for life, and place him alongside his sporting rival, Roger Federer, or the god Apollo; in recent years their sporting rivalry has become famous, and on world tennis courts they have provided some of the most spectacular shows ever seen. And yet Nadal's temperament, possibly not by accident, is modest and quiet.

At 15 years of age he was ready for his debut in a major tournament, one in his own country, in Mallorca. I met him before the tournament at the sports club. He was introduced to me by his mentor and fellow countryman tennis player, Carlos Moya. Rafa didn't look me in the eye and shyly introduced himself. "I hope to win a game in ATP; that would be a dream", he told me, even too modestly.

And yet there are some titles which are special to him: "Wimbledon 2008 was fantastic for me; it was a boy's dream that became real. Then, winning against Roger Federer 9-7 on the fifth set was truly special".


Giorgio Di Palermo, L'Uomo Vogue, November 2010

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