Tales of courage and foresight
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What makes them winners? What makes them tick?
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Photo: AP
Rafael Nadal: The prized trophy.
Stories around champions are seldom without fearlessness and foresight. Rafael Nadal, a natural right-hander who played double-handed was made to switch to his left-hand on the insistence of his uncle and Coach Toni Nadal, who felt a strong right arm would help his double-handed backhand. What began then was the relentless training and tweaking that happens to this day. As a left-hander with a lethal forehand, Nadal enjoys a distinct advantage over most right-handers, incl
uding World No.1 Roger Federer.
Despite the Spaniard’s initiation into the game as a four-year-old, his father Sebastian Nadal chose tennis over football when Nadal was 12. Most European sporting cultures have a strong football influence. Nadal, whose uncle Miguel Angel played for RCD Mallorca, FC Barcelona, and the Spanish national team, was a talented football player as well.
Once the choice was made, Nadal’s progress was rapid. As a 14-year-old, he beat Pat Cash in an exhibition clay-court match, but Nadal showed he belonged to the world of professional tennis with a series of big-stage successes that began with the French Open crown at the age of 18.
Despite his multiple Slams and his other achievements, the Spaniard is known to be humble and grounded. He enjoys fishing and boating, and is a PlayStation addict. His endearing on-court habits include a series of rituals that range from arranging bottles to tweaking socks, before games and points, and biting trophies.
Like Toni Nadal, Richard Williams showed remarkable courage and confidence in his two daughters — Venus and Serena — when he made them turn professional in their early teen years. After early days of practising in the backdrop of violence in her locality, Venus turned pro when she was 14, and won her first Grand Slam at the age of 20.
Unlike most other professional WTA stars, Venus has never been inclined towards an obsessively tennis-centric career. With an associate degree in fashion design and a keen interest in interior designing, Venus started her interior designer company V Starr Interiors. She also launched her own fashion line EleVen in association with retailers Steve & Barry’s.
The 28-year-old’s domination of women’s tennis and her rise as a brand and an icon saw her named as one of the 30 most powerful women in America by the Ladies Home Journal back in 2001. As one has come to expect of her, Venus has varied interests outside tennis including collecting Asian antiques, writing poetry and playing the guitar.
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