The 34-year-old offers 60 Minutes a glimpse into his life.
Were it not for the global pandemic, this would have marked the middle weekend of Wimbledon, the peak of the tennis season. It might also have provided Rafael Nadal, now 34, a chance to eclipse Roger Federer for most Major singles titles in history. Whenever it is Nadal plays next, he will be trying to add to his credentials as the greatest player of all time.
But Nadal doesn't play tennis so much as he works it, blistering the ball with annihilating force, lacing it with somersaulting topspin, and imposing his will on the opponent. His relentless approach is strikingly effective and, as we first told you last January, strikingly at odds with the vibe on the Spanish island where he was born, lives now and vows never to leave.
Nadal invited us to his hometown last December, during what passes for an off-season in tennis, five weeks most players use to rest up before the start of a new season.
Most players, but not Rafa Nadal. We found him blasting away at practice every morning, deploying his lefty forehand and double-fisted backhand. Every bit as dialed in as he is during his matches. Such is his intensity, Nadal requires two sparring partners. His main coach, Carlos Moya, was once the world's number-one-ranked player himself and even he struggled.
"That was easy," Nadal joked.
Hello, my name is Jack Sparrow. I'm a 50 year old self-employed Pirate from the Caribbean.
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