RAFAEL NADAL... THE FAMOUS TENNIS PLAYER!!!!!

No Tennis player since Andre Agassi has captivated the world like Rafael Nadal. He's a rarity in today's sporting arena- a true sportsman who chooses to let his raw talent, dedication and humility define him.

Rapidly closing in on his friend and rival Roger Federer's record haul of 16 grand slam victories, Nadal is an extraordinary competitor whose ferocity on court is made even more remarkable by his grace off it.

Born on 3 June 1986, Rafael Nadal is a Spanish professional tennis player and world no.1. As of 18 February 2013, he is ranked No. 5 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time; his success on clay has earned him the nickname "The King of Clay", and has prompted several experts to regard him as the greatest clay court player in history. At age eight, Nadal won an under-12 regional tennis championship at a time when he was also a promising football player. Nadal's father made him choose between football and tennis so that his school work would not deteriorate entirely. Nadal said: "I chose tennis. Football had to stop straight away."When he was 14, the Spanish tennis federation requested that he leave Majorca and move to Barcelona to continue his tennis training.In May 2001, he defeated former Grand Slam tournament champion Pat Cash in a clay-court exhibition match.

             

At 15, he turned pro. Nadal participated in two events on the ITF junior circuit. In 2002, at the age of 16, Nadal reached the semifinals of the Boy's Singles tournament at Wimbledon, in his first ITF junior event.

By the age of 17, he beat Roger Federer the first time they played and became the youngest man to reach the third round at Wimbledon since Boris Backer. At 18, he helped pace Spain over the US in the junior Davis Cup in his second, and final, appearance on the ITF junior circuit. At 19, Nadal won the French Open the first time he played it, a feat not accomplished in Paris for more than 20 years. He eventually won it the first four times he played at Roland Garros. In 2003, he had won the ATP Newcomer of the year Award. Early in his career, Nadal picked up the trademark habit of biting the trophies he won.

Nadal owns an Aston MArtin DBS V12 He lived with his parents and younger sister Maria Isabel in a five-story apartment building in their hometown of Manacor, Mallorca. In June 2009, Spanish newspaper LA Vanguardia, and then The New York TImes, reported that his parents, Ana Maria and Sebastian, had separated. This news came after weeks of speculation in Internet posts and message boards over Nadal's personal issues as the cause of his setback. He has revealed himself to be agnostic When a young boy, he would run home from school to watch Goku in his favorite Japanese anime, Dragon Ball. CNN released an article about Nadal's childhood inspiration, and called him "the Dragon Ball of tennis" due to his unorthodox style "from another planet."

Nadal's autobiography, Rafa, written with assistance from John Carlin was published in August 2011. Since 2005, Nadal has been dating Maria Francisca Perello, an insurance company employee from Palma, Majorca with a degree in Business Administration In addition to tennis and football, Nadal enjoys playing golf.