From the moment he broke through in 2003, Nadal's laser-like focus and ability to dig deeper than most was obvious, as big a weapon as his forehand, which itself is one of the most devastating shots in tennis history, a shot Andre Agassi described as 'just brutal'.Īnd to think that there were some who said he could only play on clay. I've never seen anything like it, not even close.' 'He hit every shot as if his life depended on it.

'I could see, by the sheer intensity with which he trained, that he was super-ambitious and desperate to improve,' Moya said in Nadal's book, Rafa. Nadal has rarely had a single point.Ĭarlos Moya, the former world No 1, a long-time friend and now his coach, first met him when Nadal was 12. Even Roger Federer has the odd day when his heart doesn't quite seem in it. There has never been a moment when you could say Nadal has not given everything he had to try to win. The lasso-like forehand that has wreaked havoc throughout his career the pirate shorts and sleeveless shirts of his youth the tics of his pre-serve routine the forensic placement of his water bottles the joyous fist-pumps and yells of 'Si!' after another sensational winner.īut one thing sticks in the mind above all: his attitude. There are many images that stand out with Rafael Nadal.

Nadal wplay every ponit