Overview
Rafael Nadal
Known For
NBC's Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony in IMAX
For the first time ever, experience the world's biggest event...
Paris 2024 Olympic Opening Ceremony
On 26 July 2024, the largest-ever Olympic Games Opening Ceremony...
Biography
Rafael Nadal Parera (born 3 June 1986, Manacor, Mallorca, Spain) is a former Spanish tennis player who emerged in the early 21st century as one of the game’s leading competitors, especially noted for his performance on clay. Nadal grew up in a sports-minded family; his uncle Miguel Angel Nadal was a professional association football (soccer) player who competed in the 2002 World Cup. Rafael began playing tennis at age four, guided by another uncle, Toni Nadal, who remained his coach on the professional tour. In his early years, Nadal (who wrote with his right hand) played left-handed tennis with both a two-handed forehand and backhand. When he was 12, however, his uncle encouraged him to adopt a more conventional left-handed style. Nadal stuck with his two-handed backhand but switched to what became his signature one-handed forehand, the stroke that was credited with lifting him into the sport’s upper echelons. Nadal retired from the sport on 19 November 2024, after the conclusion the Netherlands vs Spain match in the 2024 Davis Cup Finals.