FEBRUARY 2020 67
admired Carlos. So having someone that was
an idol for me is very positive and very reas-
suring. He builds my trust, my self-confidence.
And he makes my life easier as well, which is
very important at this stage. The impact was
not only on my tennis.
SI: We know about your Uncle Toni [who coached
Nadal from youth to 16 major titles before retir-
ing in 2017]. You have another uncle, Miguel
Angel, who played professional soccer in Spain.
Big, big soccer star. What did you learn from
him about the job of being a professional athlete?
RN: My uncle was an excellent athlete. He played
on the Barcelona soccer team for nine years
and with the Spanish national team in the
World Cup in the U.S., France, Korea and
Japan. I learned many things from my uncle.
He’s an exceptional person. Soccer players are
big stars here in Spain and everywhere. But
he managed to have a normal life, close to
his family. And for me, that was a very good
example. Having someone close to me that
had achieved a lot of success in the sports
world was very helpful. I could talk to him
in complicated moments.
SI: What is your motivation these days? Why is
tennis important to you right now?
RN: I’m happy playing tennis, and I love com-
peting. I’m very privileged to be able to live
the life I am living. I never lose sight of the
fact that I’m very lucky to have gone through
unique experiences—and still do. All of this
thanks to tennis. The feeling I have when I’m
on the tennis court and I see these stadiums
full of people sitting there, looking, cheer-
ing—this is something amazing and very dif-
ficult to describe. It’s very satisfying, because
at this stage of my career, everybody is still
supporting me. People are fond of me. And
I think this means that I have done things
right, both on-court and off-court. I think
that my attitude has always been right. And
this has been a source of satisfaction.
SI: Has it ever gotten easier talking about yourself?
RN: No, I don’t like it. No. [Laughs.] Because I
cannot be praising myself. I can express my
feelings, but I cannot say that I’m a nice per-
son or a good person. I cannot say that. I
have tried to be do the right things and have
a proper attitude towards everybody. But the
fact that I am like that or not is not up to me
to say. So I’m a bit shy. ±
To watch L. Jon Wertheim’s full interview with
Rafael Nadal, go to 60minutes.com
SI: You and your body have a long history. Some-
times you’re getting along and sometimes you’re
fighting. How are you now?
RN: I’m O.K. The body is O.K. Sometimes I feel
better, sometimes I feel worse. This can be
tough during the bad times. But I always
hope that things are going to be fine. I have
encountered many problems, this is true. But
I have been able to overcome the problems in
a positive way.
SI: What has Carlos Moya [the former top-ranked
player who is Nadal’s coach and a fellow Mal-
lorcan] brought to your game?
RN: He has brought many things, like a different
way of training compared to the way I had
been doing it all my life. And now at this
stage of my life, I think it has worked very
well. This more organized way of training
has been very useful, and it has allowed me
to have a longer career.
SI: Two men from this small island, one in his 30s,
one in his 40s, now taking on the world. It al-
most seems like a movie....
RN: To be frank, it’s a very nice story. All my life I
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