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Rafael Nadal Bio
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- Full name is Rafael Nadal Parera
- Nicknamed “Rafa”
- Father, Sebastian, manages his own restaurant and glass and windows business; mother, Ana Maria, is a housewife; has one younger sister Maria Isabel
- Plays left-handed but writes right-handed
- Began playing tennis at age four with his uncle Toni, who is his long-time coach
- Used to play with two-handed forehand and backhand before his uncle made him change at age nine or 10 to a one-handed forehand
- Played his only junior Grand Slam event at Wimbledon in 2002 and reached SF
- Comes from same island (Mallorca) as countryman Carlos Moya
- The city of Manacor is second-biggest on island of Mallorca
- His other uncle, Miguel Angel Nadal, is a former professional soccer player with stints at FC Barcelona, Real Mallorca and Spanish national team, which competed in 2002 World Cup
- Also played on two other World Cup teams in 1994 and ’98
- Earned ATP Newcomer of Year in 2003 and ATP Most Improved Player of Year in 2005
- Reached Spanish Championships in July 2003 (l. to Lopez)
- Has a 9-5 career Davis Cup record (7-1 in singles) in seven ties and member of winning team in 2004
- Coached by his uncle Toni Nadal.
Biographical information from ATP. Unless noted otherwise all data as of year-end 2007.
Return to > Players > R > Rafael Nadal Profile (Biography) (Quotes) (Pictures)
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