Rafa Nadal.

 Of all the truly great tennis players of the last few years there are only a handful that stand out. In this small group, includes Rafa Nadal. Often referred to as the King of Clay, because of his dominance at Roland Garros. He won a staggering 14 times there. He won 22 titles during his career. However the Netflix documentary about his life is an examination in physical and psychological suffering. He says in the documentary ‘Ive been fighting against my body for many years with the highest demands and in time it will collapse’. His uncle Tony, was a constant presence in his training from a very early age. He pushed him harder and harder to improve his technique and stamina. Over time this becomes an increasing challenge and problem and the stress starts to show. There were many occasions when Rafa played in great physical pain, sustained by powerful pain killers and surgery. Along with Federer and Djokovic they were considered the ‘big three’ of world tennis for many years. The documentary is worth watching, just to see - how tough it is to be a top professional sports champion. He retired from professional tennis in November 2024 aged 38 after staring off back in 2003. He gave us so much joy and happiness during his long career.