Rafa: My Story  (English, Paperback, Nadal Rafael)

Rafa: My Story is the autobiography of international tennis player Rafael Nadal, in which he recounts his early years and speaks of what gave him the strength to reach his exalted position in the world of tennis.

Summary Of The Book

Rafa: My Story speaks of a determined tennis player, full of grit, and how he managed to overcome all odds and reach the pinnacle of tennis, to be acclaimed as one of the greatest players ever. Rafael Nadal is candid and forthcoming about his life and how he got to where he is.

Although it is essentially an autobiography, Rafa: My Story has parts of first-person accounts (primarily the unforgettable Wimbledon final in 2008 against Federer) interspersed with a third person account of Nadal’s resolve, his will to win and his iron stamina and endurance.

Throughout the book, Nadal speaks of how his uncle Toni, a failed tennis player, has always been his coach and has bullied him to no end, criticizing him even when he won, and always reminding him that he has a long way to go. Nadal recounts how he would always be made to pick up more balls than the others and he would always be pushed hard by his uncle.

This ruthlessness, however, seems to have paid off, seeing as Nadal is counted amongst the greatest players of the game. He has been up against stiff competition, and he has come out on top. One of the most engaging features of Rafa: My Story is the way the 2008 Wimbledon final against Federer is described, right from the previous night onwards. Nadal describes how he felt and what it meant to him with great lucidity.

Rafa: My Story is an interesting glimpse into the mind of a very private and highly successful tennis player.

About The Authors

Rafael Nadal is presently tennis’ world number one, and has been playing tennis for several years. He won his first grand slam, the French Open, in 2005 at the age of nineteen.

Rafael Nadal has lived all his life in a little town called Manacor in Mallorca in Spain, along with the rest of his family and his uncle Toni, who has been his tennis coach from the beginning.

John Carlin is a journalist and author.

Other books by Carlin include Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Made a Nation and White Angels: Beckham, Real Madrid and the New Football.

Carlin was born in 1956, to a Spanish father and Scottish mother. As his father was working in the British embassy, he moved around a lot, living for a while in Buenos Aires. He returned to England and completed his MA in English Language and Literature from Oxford University.