Nadal recalls: "It was a very important lesson for me".
Rafael Nadal had a great career. An undisputed legend of our sport, he stopped playing tennis professionally a few weeks ago, but has not disappeared from the media spotlight.
While he will be making an appearance at the Next Gen Masters, the Majorcan recently opened up about his career and, in particular, his childhood. Known for being a great perfectionist, he explained that this came from his uncle and coach, Toni Nadal: "When I was young, I learned a lesson that remains engraved in my memory.
I don't know exactly how old I was, but I think I was about 12. Back then, I loved to go fishing. I love the sea, because I'm from Mallorca, and in my case, the sea is part of my life.
It's the feeling of being by the sea, sitting on the rocks with your family and friends, or on a boat - the disconnection and peace you feel is something special. One day, I went fishing when I could have been training.
The next day, I lost my match. I remember crying in the car on the way home, and my uncle, who had a great influence on me at that young age, and who was the one who had made me fall in love with tennis, said to me: 'It doesn't matter, it's only a tennis match. Don't cry now, there's no point.
If you want to win, you first have to do what you have to do. That was a very important lesson for me. If people think of me as a perfectionist, it's because of that inner voice calling me on the way home. That voice has never left me. One day, I'll be able to be at sea. Today, and tomorrow... I need to train."
