Rafael Nadal

Evo nekih intervjua sa Rafinim stricom, gdje dosta govori o Rafi i tenisu :smile:




Between Rafa and Uncle Toni there is a very special bond which Rafa himself acknowledges:

“He’s a special person in my life. He was the first one to put a racquet in my hand and since then, he’s been with me all over the world. Furthermore, he’s family. It’s very hard to put into words what he means to me.”
Besides his work with Rafael, Uncle Toni is involved in charity works. He collaborates with Iberostar Foundation in order to help the social integration of children and disabled children from the Balearic Islands.



By HÉCTOR MARTÍN


PALMA.- Dressed for the occasion and with that hoarse voice so characteristic of him, Toni Nadal appeared punctually in the UIB (University of the Balearic Islands) Gasper Melchor building conference room. Rafael Nadal's uncle and trainer let the "jewel" rest in Manacor yesterday while he enjoyed an agreeable roundtable discussion together with the psychiatrist Miquel Roca and the psychologist Alexandre García, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the 'Fundació Universitat-Empresa de les Balears'. The main theme was the management of success, a subject that the Nadals have shown they have learnt well. "In my opinion, the secret is being happy" were the first of the words of wisdom that were heard during the next 90 minutes, in answer to 37 questions.

Toni permitted himself the luxury of joking about his nephew's body - "the muscles you see on television are magnified; they aren't half as big as that" - , of highlighting personalities like Romario - "he is really gifted because he never had to make an effort to stand out"

Toni always enjoys talking about football. He reminded people that his sympathies lie with Barcelona and commented that he could not believe it when he read that Mallorca needed a psychologist. "I cannot conceive that a psychologist is needed just because they ball doesn't end up in the back of the net. You have to know how to accept a defeat. After Wimbledon, Rafael had a slump and his problem was a mental one, but he had to sort it out by himself."
"80% of the mental work is done by the trainers," Alexandre Garcia, of totally the opposite opinion, said in reply. But Toni was insistent: "Gaudio, for example, now uses a psychologist because he has a serious problem, but the impression I get is that people are far too weak."
When he looks back, he feels nostalgia. He has quaint anecdotes to tell of his five hours a day spent with the champion, something other 'top' players will never experience. "I always wanted him to look good, to express himself. I knew what kind of player I wanted to see: a player who was involved, who had feelings. It's positive to express everything, except anger because that gives your opponent strength and you're mistaken in your self appraisal because it is quite normal to do something wrong. Everyone can't be Federer," he pointed out.

He recalled Rafael becoming Spanish champion at the age of twelve. So that the boy would not become too full of himself, Toni called the Spanish Federation, pretending he was a journalist, and asked for the names of the last 25 junior champions. Corretja was among them, but few other 'names'. The child took good note.

The parties top sportsmen attend are much talked about. "I can't always be on top of him to see that he doesn't go out." "Three years ago, at Paris-Bercy, he appeared on court with chocolate croissants. Carlos Costa - his agent - just looked at me. I told him: 'Don't worry, one look from me and Rafa will understand exactly what he should do. He'll only eat them once' ... ". What he does disapprove of in players nowadays, his nephew included, is the little inclination they have to see more of the world: "They are not interested, they prefer to stay in their room with the PlayStation."

"I don't manage Rafael's success, either," he commented to a well filled auditorium, with his brother Miquel Àngel, whom he did not fail to mention during his discourse, among those present along with the journalists Manel Serras (El Pais) and Jaume Pujol Galcerán (El Periódico), who had come specially from Barcelona. "Rafael has been able to deal with his success thanks to the good basis that was instilled in him and thanks to having a top flight sportsman in the family. People like Maradona have not been able to deal with success because they do not have this good basis."


The differences between the top two

The double Roland Garros champion's uncle pointed out that there is a long way to go till his tennis reaches the highest level. Because of that, Toni wanted to make quite clear the differences that there are at first sight between the Manacorian and the Swiss. He was in his element: "Federer is perfection, while Rafa delivers by other means; one is cold and the other passionate; one is favoured by young people and the other by older people; in short, Rafael needs more work. Toni admits that the Swiss is the best in history, but he does not like "seeing a white-collar worker on court".
 
Confidential conversation with an uncle

On the court, he sometimes comes across as aggressive, doesn’t he? His fist held up, his black hair in the wind, his inflated muscles. But ask yourself this question: have you ever seen him throw a racquet or insult an umpire? You will probably give a negative reply.

Why?

“Because he has been raised that way”, declares Toni Nadal, his uncle who is also his trainer. I didn’t know Toni very well until a recent conversation which gave me a clear picture. He told me that Rafael held his first racquet in his hands at the age of three years and he hit the ball in a very natural way right away. That happened a few years after Toni decided to take lessons in Barcelona to become a coach when he realised that he would never become a top player.

Very quickly, he understood that he was going to have take care of his nephew with the full approval of the rest of the clan in Manacor, a Balearic town. Head of the clan is the grandfather of the Roland Garros champion with the same first name Rafael, aged 80 and for whom respect for the law is very important. Toni is one of four sons of the other Rafa. Another one is Miguel Angel who played in three world cups in the Spanish jersey. It’s in this hot sports mixture that Rafael has learned to play the game on the court and off it.

Has he encountered a few problems on the way to glory?

“Only recently”, Toni admits to me. “Now that he’s famous, it’s difficult with the press. Journalists exaggerate certain things and it’s a delicate operation for such a young man to keep a good sense of proportion of what is accurate and what is not.”

Sitting on the other side of the table during our conversation, the world number two keeps his eyes zoomed in on his mobile phone and he tries to give the impression that he’s not listening to us. But he certainly heard what his uncle told me later on:

“The other day, Rafael told me that a respectable person will always greet you. At home, I have a lady who works in my house and of course, I greet her everyday. That’s the normal way to behave but that doesn’t necessarily make a good person out of you. Behaving badly, on the other hand, is what makes you a “bad person”. That’s the reason why you will never see Rafa throw his racquet. He has never done so and he never will. Very early on, I told him that this would be a sign of disrespect to all those who cherish their racquet because it's the only one they've got.”

Even if he has the tendency to take a bit too much time from time to time when he has to serve, Rafa has shown that he’s a fast learner.

By Richard Evans.
 
Što se njegov ujak svuda pojavljuje gde mu je ostatak familije, otac, majka...? Znam da mu je on trener ali gde mu je familija da navija za njega.
Stvarno nisam upućena.
Vrlo lepo ga je vaspitao ujak da ne baca reket i da poštuje sudiju, zanimljivo.
 
Blondie2:
Što se njegov ujak svuda pojavljuje gde mu je ostatak familije, otac, majka...? Znam da mu je on trener ali gde mu je familija da navija za njega.
Stvarno nisam upućena.
Vrlo lepo ga je vaspitao ujak da ne baca reket i da poštuje sudiju, zanimljivo.
Kliknite za proširenje...

za razliku od roditelja odredjenog tenisera,Rafini se ne eksponiraju i dolaze samo na one najvaznije turnire,kada njihov sin igra finale. u medjuvremenu,vode restoran u Madridu i uzivaju
 
nadal je definitivno najbolji odbrambeni igrac- najeksplozivniji, ali ne najagresivniji! njegov najjaci statisticki podatak je minijaturni broj gresaka sto mnogo govori o njegovom stilu ;) mora da si pod agresivnim mislila na eksplozivnost... jedino to ima smisla :)
a pustite tog coveka sa roditljima koji se eksponiraju- on nije oni :p :lol:
 
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