Ahead of the French Open, the Spanish tennis champion talks to EL PAÍS about his plans for retirement and his efforts to balance ambition with wellbeing.
Spanish tennis champion Rafael Nadal has been making the most of his time in Mallorca before he flies out to compete at the French Open, which he has won 13 times. And in Mallorca, where he was born, things are done differently. At the 15-day competition in the Roland Garros stadium, Nadal will chug down water and isotonic drinks as he tries to take home his 14th title. But on the Balearic island, he has been using this downtime to go fishing and play golf with his friends and uncles: Toni Nadal, his former trainer and Miguel Ángel Nadal, a former soccer player for Barcelona, who was also selected to play for Spain’s national team. Rafa Nadal – as he is popularly known – has surrounded himself with family, while he drinks non-alcoholic beer.
Indeed the tennis champion has been taking part in an international advertising campaign for Amstel’s alcohol-free product, for which he is a brand ambassador. Between drinking non-alcoholic beer and eating olives and cockles – “everyone should do what they like,” Nadal joked – he spared 15 minutes last week to talk to EL PAÍS about his future goals and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
