The number one ranked tennis player in the world offers 60 Minutes a glimpse into his life before he takes the court in this month's Australian Open.
Remember when tennis was considered a precious game played by the cardigan set at country clubs and on barbered lawns? Rafael Nadal broke that mold when he cracked the sport's top ten as a teenager, all muscle tanks and long hair. Next week, at the improbable age of 33, he enters the Australian Open as the world's number one-ranked player, adding to his case 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 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 month 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.
