Rafael Nadal, an amazing player, is defined as the ‘King of Clay’. In this book, Rafa’s life is explored since the first time he held a racket at the age of 3, till the present date. He faced what was and is still known to be the ‘Greatest tennis match of all time’ during the 2008 Wimbledon final against his greatest rival Roger Federer. What happened? Who won? Walk through Nadal’s childhood and explore this great match in ‘Rafa – My Story‘ by John Carlin with Rafael Nadal.
DISCLAIMER – Contains Spoilers; continue if you wish!
Author’s name – John Carlin with Rafa
Genre – Sport
Rating – 3.4/5
Rafa’s childhood
Rafa’s life started in the town of Manacor located in a small island called Mallorca. He was introduced to tennis by his Uncle, Toni Nadal; at the age of 3, he picked up his first racket. He continued to play tennis and won the under 12 regional tennis championship at the age of 8. His future lay in front of him.
Hard choice
He came to a point in life where a huge decision was to be made. Football or Tennis? He showed passion for both sports but there was only one choice – tennis.
Warm and Dry Courts of Mallorca
Contrary to what people would expect, Rafa’s childhood on the court was not one that was comforting with his coach, Toni Nadal. Rafa’s uncle had an extremely strong desire to see him advance in his career of tennis. He’d always push him to maximum heights so that he can prepare Rafa for any challenges. Despite all the difficulties Rafael Nadal faced, his passion for tennis led him to success.
The Greatest Match
It was in the green courts of Wimbledon 2008, where Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer met each other in the final. That was Nadal’s most important match of his life. He could feel the nerves and tension ride in. For spoiler purposes, I am not going to inform the rest; find it out by reading the book!
The Separation
After the triumph in the 2009 Australian Open, Rafa faced his biggest hurdle. The relationship between his parents had been split. He was informed about it by Uncle Toni. It was abrupt and unexpected. Later on in the year, the French Open commenced. Nadal approached the 4th round where he’d lost against Robin Soldering. It was a shock to everyone as no one expected Rafa to lose on his favourite court. Many thought that it was due to the divorce of his parents that Nadal was emotionally disturbed.
About the author
John Carlin was born on May 12th, 1956. He is a famous author and journalist who writes about sports and politics. One of his famous books includes ‘Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela’ and the game that made a nation which is the basis of the film Invictus(a fantastic film). He was born to a Scottish Father and a Spanish mother in London and was educated in St. George’s college located in Weybridge. He later qualified to get an MA(Master of Arts) in English language and literature from Oxford University.
My Impression
The book is mainly focused on the matches that Rafa played. I found it quite interesting in the sense that the author’s use of language is engaging. However, it seemed to me that the book was slightly repetitive as there is more information about the matches played than Rafael Nadal’s life.
I would recommend this book to people who show enthusiasm towards tennis. It delighted and caught my interest as I am passionate about this sport. Experience what goes on in the mind of a tennis player like Rafa, who has won 11 French Open Titles(almost consecutively). All the victories and disappointments that Rafa had been through allowed him to achieve the great name, ‘King of Clay’.
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