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RAFA is a remarkable book which gives amazing insights into the mind of a tennis legend. The way he prepares before a game, his mental state during a game, his methods of handling the disappointments and the successes of the tennis court - all of this makes RAFA a fascinating read. The book has a unique format in which the first person account by Nadal is interspersed with chapters by John Carlin. The chapters by Nadal mainly talk about some of the important matches of his fledging tennis career, starting with THE MATCH - the Wimbledon 2008 final; his surprisingly strong family ties and its impact on his game; his domineering uncle and coach for 20 years - Toni and of course, his never say die spirit which is visible in most of his matches, among other things. As the chapters go on, the book slowly uncovers the duality of Rafael Nadal - the one on the tennis court and the other off it. The one on the court is a gladiator who fights till the end, never gives up, doesn't know what fear is and ruthlessly decimates his opposition. The one off the tennis court is a soft, insecure lad , a boy next door, who is scared of dog, who is uncomfortable driving a bicycle or a motorbike and one who is scared of flying in a helicopter ! The contrast cannot be more starker. The importance he gives to his family and friends and in turn their impact on his game is mentioned throughout the book. After a remarkable year of 2008 when he won both French Open and Wimbledon and became No.1 for the first time, 2009 was a big let down, when he was dogged by injuries, when he lost in French Open for the first time and eventually lost the No.1 ranking. As he writes, this dip in his career was as much due to the separation of his parents as due to external factors like injuries and loss of form. In fact, according to him, the mental trauma he experienced due to his parent's separation was actually the root cause for most of his injuries during that time. In the final part of the book he also mentions his rather strange relationship with his uncle and coach - Toni. Though he gives a lot of credit to Toni for installing in him the fighting spirit of a gladiator and making him the tennis player he is now, he also mentions couple of incidents where he thinks Toni crossed the line. There are nuggets spread throughout book about their relationship and if you connect the dots you feel as if Nadal is only 'tolerating' Toni because of his gratitude towards Toni for making him what he is now. But again, that is only my interpretation. Overall, RAFA is an inspirational read. Through a living example the book tells that to succeed you have to make sacrifices, to succeed you need to have discipline and dedication, to succeed you have to fight till the last point. Nothing comes easy in this world, but if you put an honest effort, nothing is too difficult to achieve !Read full review
Good read from a great champion!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Book is new! Great condition and packaging.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Loved the book. Fascinated in learning the way Nadal thinks. He is a true champion. Learnt a lot from the book, that I can apply to my life. The determination of the man is unbelievable. After reading the book, I am a big fan of Nadal.
The book was bought for a Christmas present. The person I gave it too had just begun reading the book but really likes it so far. The book is one of 500 personally signed by Rafael Nadal which makes the purchase extra special.
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