The Spaniard, in the interview following the Louis Vuitton event with Roger Federer, shared inspiring words for all the young generations
What are the qualities that allowed Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic to become immortal legends in the history of sport? Reasons? Willpower? Innate talent? Do you want to write their name engraved in the centuries to come? Yes, obviously, all of these that I mentioned are important, but they wouldn’t be complete without the real engine that moves everything: passion.
Nadal himself revealed a series of interesting considerations in an interview given on the occasion of the advertising spot promoted by Louis Vuitton together with Roger Federer, in which he underlined the importance of passion in his professional career. A message that all young generations should read.
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“If I have to choose one thing in particular, I’ll take the 14 successes at Roland Garros. I had an excellent team around me, a great family. They passed on the right values to me from the beginning as I grew up. The most important thing in my career is have the passion to always continue to improve, find new things to do better and better. This makes the difference between the top players and the others who play well.
What would I say to myself as a child? spirit. Listen to the people close to you. Be humble enough to listen to the people who want you to succeed. You will make mistakes, you will succeed and you will learn many things. I love football, Ronaldo Luis Nazario Lima was a great inspiration. Then I had the chance to spend time with him. Pete Sampras was a great source of inspiration. Carlos Moyà, my current coach, too. He also helped me a lot when I arrived in the Tour,” explained Rafa.
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The Spanish champion also praised the tournament staff and boards.
“The thing that makes me happy is that the tournament directors, the organisers, the staff, the people who work in the ATP tell nice things about me more as a person than as a tennis player. I have won much more than I could have dreamed. The legacy I leave as a person is the most important thing,” he told.
But will Rafa play at the Roland Garros? In recent days, the coach of the 22-time slam champion, Carlos Moyà, has spoken about the situation of the Majorcan tennis player, clarifying how Nadal is working to be able to take the court in Paris. The coach went to the La Salle school in Palma de Mallorca, where he gave a speech to his students, as reported by Diari de Mallorca.
“Nothing has been decided yet. He is competing, the results are not the usual, but he is well, he is happy. It is not what we are used to, but I also knew that it was a very difficult process. Now we will try to move forward this week, the idea is to be at Roland Garros next week. The goal is to move forward day by day because these are the conditions,” he said.
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In a subsequent interview with IB3 Televisió, Moyà then added further details.
“We move forward little by little, entering the competition, trying to get into a rhythm. He comes from very far away, with various injuries during these months…. It is clear that he lacks a bit of competitive rhythm, but he will not have it because there are no more tournaments. Anything that can be coached and added quality time on the field will add up. Since Barcelona there has been an evolution on a physical and mental level, but above all in having certain guarantees of being able to withstand a five-set match,” he analyzed.
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In the interview with Federer for the Louis Vuitton campaign, Nadal revealed that he met Federer at Wimbledon in 2003, joking with his friend and rival of a thousand battles.
“I remember the first meeting, maybe he doesn’t. When he won Wimbledon for the first time in 2003. You were a bit arrogant! No, it was very nice. I had just arrived on the Tour and I was shy. Having the chance to share this project with what is probably my biggest rival and friend at the same time makes everything more special,” explained Rafa.
Federer added: “I remember his first match in Monte Carlo. He was very young and strong. We all thought: Here, another Spanish future top-10 and maybe even more. Then he achieved everything. A special moment was when he beat me in 2004 in Miami and I was the ATP No1. I was surprised, but it was great to see young players like Rafa, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray emerge. It was a great rivalry. The one with Nadal, due to his attitude and playing style, was not a rivalry like the others.”