INTERVIEW: Rafael Nadal talks tennis and how his new yacht helps his game

Tennis superstar and current US Open champion Rafael Nadal has won 19 Grand Slam titles and numerous number 1 rankings during his highly decorated career. And as I’ve learned in my previous superyacht influencer interviews with some of the most powerful and successful people in the world, being the very best—athlete, businessperson, etc.—is intense.

It’s a rare breed of person who can handle the stress and pressure of being the best. But even the most successful people in the world need to unwind from time to time. And for many, owning a yacht (or in some cases, several) is only the way they can truly get away from the stress and pressures of their high profile lives.

And when it comes to high-profile tennis players, Rafa’s star burns pretty bright. And as you can see in his candid answers here, his new custom-built Sunreef 80 that was just launched in Europe is his ideal pressure release valve.

Photo: Sunreef Yachts

Bill Springer (The Editor in Chief of Ocean Home magazine): Is this the first yacht you have owned?

Rafael Nadal: No, it’s not my first boat. I have owned a 62-foot speedboat in 2013 and then in 2016 a 76-foot motorboat.

BS: What inspired you to build your own custom yacht rather than chartering one.

RN: It’s simple, I live on an island, it’s part of the local lifestyle. When you have your own personal boat, you decide when you go out. When you charter out, you can’t just choose to go immediately. When your boat is next to your house, you wake up, have breakfast and say: “you know what, I want to spend the day out there on the boat”. I can get away from the stress that way. To me it’s important, it helps me restore positive energy. That’s something that helps me move forward with my tennis career, it’s one of the things I really appreciate in boating. Of course, to go for ownership is a tough decision, because it’s expensive, but it’s just good for my personal life.

BS: What is it about this yacht that is special? Is it the ability to get away from it all? Is it the connection to the sea? Is it the ability to customize your living space and then move from place to place in style?

RN: I think with the 80 Sunreef Power you have plenty of options. There’s a couple of things that make it very special. Firstly, you can customize the boat and make it truly adapted to your needs. Second thing is when you are at anchor, the stability is just unbelievable. You can always relax, sleep, it’s perfect. Sometimes you won’t even feel you are on a yacht, because it feels so much like a home. It’s a yacht that you can use like a home. The saloon is bigger than in my house, honestly! The diversity of

living spaces helps you enjoy the sea from all perspectives. Also, under way, you can be on the front terrace, or if you want to hide from the wind, you go to the stern cockpit and relax. On the flybridge, you have 360 views… the yacht is 12m wide, it gives plenty of possibilities: you can have a jet-ski on board, a big tender, toys…

Photo: Sunreef Yachts

BS: Why did you pick a catamaran? Why did you pick Sunreef?

RN: My experiences with catamarans are associated with chartering them. I chartered catamarans couple of times and those were very satisfying journeys. That is why I wanted to have a multihull of my own. I have always owned only monohulls and on a catamaran I was captivated by the huge amount of space. Honestly, to be clear in my small port [in Mallorca], the 80 Sunreef Power is the biggest boat that can dock there. It’s great for me that I can have the new 80 Power here in Porto Cristo, in the place which is located in front of my house. The huge amount of space that my catamaran has, is unreachable to any monohull in the length of up to 100 ft. That is for me the main reason for switching from monohull to multihull.

I know Sunreef Yachts since a long time and I’m a big fan of boating in general. My impression of how the company is prospering is great since the beginning. When Sunreef presented me the project of the 80 Sunreef Power I fell in love.

BS: Where are you planning to take your new yacht? The Med (of course!). But what about the Caribbean? Other destinations?

RN: I am going to use the boat most of the time in the Balearic Islands. Mainly because I don’t have a lot of time these days to go very far. I have to keep training and keep my focus on tennis. Hopefully in the near future I will have the chance to take the boat to other places and discover the world.

BS: Do your friends own their own yachts? Or...will they be your guests instead? Or maybe both?

RN: I don’t have a lot of friends who own boats in the area. I feel very fortunate to have the boat and to be able to share it with my friends and family. At the end of the day, it doesn’t make any sense to keep the boat just to yourself. If I own a yacht, it is to share it.

I couldn’t agree more!

Source: forbes.com/