Rafa

I am enjoying the Rafa memoir. Initially, I wondered how a memoir could be written so early in this young man's life, and not be "fluff" for over 270 pages. I quickly learned that not only is there no fluff, it sucked me in as a reader. The format is almost like "Forrest Gump" in print. It starts with Rafa prepping for his 2008 Wimbledon match against Roger Federer, the slam he's always wanted to win. Rafa writes somewhat of a diary/journal entry of his thought as he gets ready for the match. And as he goes through these motions, he has "flashbacks" of times earlier in life that has gotten him to where he's at: lessons he's learned, the family's who's been a solid foundation of support, and the human side of of who Rafa's become of these things. The flashbacks come back to the present match and integrates itself whole. Once a short entry of that match is read, John Carlin interjects with words and mini vignettes/interviews from family and friends who fill the "gaps" of the thought processes of how Rafa thinks and what he's become. The story then heads back to that Wimbledon match and Rafa writes more. The cycle continues. I bought this book right as I was about to go to sleep and ended up reading nearly 20% of the book and took it to work to read during my lunch. I could not put it down, but had to because the eyes were drooping. At this rate, the book will not make it to the weekend. Rafa draws me in and paints a story of an every day man who happens to do something extraordinary professionally. Nadal speaks with desires of a simple life and yet, with a profound sense of thought of in how to approach it. Tennis is the backddrop of this story, but many life lessons are learned as well as we watch someone grow into their own. UPDATE 9/9/11: I finished the book and it was quite satisfying. The memoir covers the first 25 years of Rafa's life, but there was much that's happened within that time: mentally, physically, and emotionally. Rafa and Carlin explain the moments in time and their impact upon who Rafa is today and will become. Is the book premature in its writing? Yes and no. I thought that the book should have been done after his career was over so we get the "full scope." However, by writing the book now while still actively competing, Rafa lets the readers understand who and what he is now. I have been following Rafa throughout this 2011 U.S. Open and the memoir has shed a different perspective on how I view Rafa's mentality on court, for the press, and how he carries himself. In short, it's an even more intriguing 'front row ticket' into someone's life.

A great book about one of the greats of tennis.

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 !

When Jimmy Connors stopped playing tennis, I quit watching. When Rafa beat Federer in Miami at age 18, I started watching again. Many commentators say Rafa plays with the same fighting spirit as Jimmy. I’ve always wondered where the fight comes from, how he keeps on winning and what motivates him. There are obvious answers given in articles and by broadcasters during a match or interview. Reading this book. . .(finally!) I understand a lot more. It’s a fun read, learning little details about what he was thinking during specific matches I’ve watched more than once. Mostly, it is as inspiring and motivating as Rafa himself when he’s playing every ball as if it were championship point. It’s the kind of book that makes plain what is required of a Champion besides talent. It is well written and makes me want to go do something. At 80. After this read, I believe it’s possible to still achieve something with a natural God-given talent I’ve been told about and recognized in myself most of my life. Will I do it? If I do, Rafa Nadal will be mentioned in the credits.

I expected this book to be somewhat of a biography, but it isn't and it is............ "Rafa" is the name of the 'Warrior' who we see on the court. "Rafael" is the man behind the warrior on the court as it were.... I have been an avid fan of tennis and of Rafael Nadal for the entire open season and since he arrived in the ATP. Watching Rafael play a match can be intense, what this book does is explain the intensity we see on the court. The most wonderful thing about this book, is that Rafa allows you into his mind.....his thought processes, his fears, his triumphs, as well as his relationship whith his coach (Uncle Tony) and his family. The Warrior is the person that has been trained and continually trains himself to give 100% at all times on the court. The Man is the 24 yr old who has become the Warrior; but continues to be sensitive, appreciative, respectful and above all else, a good person. I am pleased that I didn't know the content of the book before hand. As I read, I became more appreciative and more of a fan of Rafael Nadal's than I had been before. As he describes his various matches; especially his first slam title on thru to his 8th slam title (and I have seen each of the matches that he talks about), I began to relive each match, point by point along with him. By his own words, his best year was 2010; he held all 4 grand slam titles. To be a part his physical, mental and emotionaL well being throughout these matches, was an amazing experience both for me, the fan and me, the reader. If you are a fan of the game, wheather a fan of Rafael Nadal or not; this book is an exceptional read. You'll know him as well as his closest friends do, by the time you finish reading this book. Enjoy !!!!!!

My favorite books are biographies, self biographies even more; my favorite sport is tennis. Having read biographies from players such as Agassi, Sampras, McEnroe, Connors, even Brad Gilbert's Winning Ugly, I would say this is the softest book of them all. There most be some bias in my assessment, perhaps expectations were too high. Things I didn't like about the book: - Rafa must have been around 24 yrs old when he wrote it. Why rush and write a biography at such an early stage of his career? it was clear he was going to go more places still. - Book is centered around his 2008 win to Roger Federer at Wimbledon. I recognize this was one of the biggest matches in sport's history, and also that history was written there. Being this the center of the book I felt it too egocentric. - I felt like the book was written too rushed, like if there was a window of time in which the book had to be written and launched or else miss a train. - A long part of the book is almost narration of points. I like the technical part of tennis, I rewatch historic matches, but to me, narrating over and over complete games of matches was too much. There were things I did appreciate about the book. Mainly we see a Rafa, at least in that point of his career, with great mental strength but in this book we also see a "fragile" menthal strength. A Rafa that calculates everything he does on and off court, which we sort of knew but perhaps not to that extent. A Rafa extremely committed to Tennis, a Rafa in many cases very human, in many cases (for my liking) not such an example as people want to put him (like in a pedestal). It was very interesting reading the dynamics between him and Uncle Toni. Also it was good reading about Mallorca, their people and Rafa's circle. All in all, perhaps this is my first 3 star review, usually I put 5s, some 3s, this book is ok. If you really like either tennis or Rafa, by all means it is worth reading, if not such a fan, not so much.

"Rafa" gives a powerful insight into the world of men's professional tennis and in particular to one of its superstars - Rafael Nadal of Spain. The opening paragraph describes the feeling of playing on Wimbledon's Centre Court - the profound silence. You hear the sound of your own racket hitting the ball - a cathedral hush he calls it. The silence is broken when there is a good shot - and this audience knows the difference. Those first few chapters set the atmosphere and are well worth reading! And I loved all the insights into the locker room - he and Federer locked into the same little room at Wimbledon during some of the most intense periods of their professional lives. The book starts with the marvelous 2008 Wimbledon final between Rafa and Federer and in between fills in details of his life and gradually works its way through to the year 2010 when Rafa won the U.S. Open (not much silence in that stadium!). Rafa is definitely an unusual person - his family ties are the core of his life and affect everything he does. By American standards, where we expect young people to move away from the family and gain their independence, he seems held back. But this family-based lifestyle is more typical of the Spanish, particularly on his island of Mallorca and his beloved villa of Manacor. When the family is not stable, his tennis suffers. The insights into his training and conflict with Uncle Toni are intriguing. As a Rafa fan, one thing I particularly enjoyed was hearing Rafa's true voice - not the limited English we normally hear from him. Because it was co-written by John Carlin (who speaks both Spanish and English) we get to hear Rafa translated into full English and I found that very helpful. If you have any interest in tennis or in superstar athletes, I highly recommend this book.

What a great choice of "voice" for presenting the life and game of a superb, still --young tennis player. The chapters switch from Nadal's voice, or narrative, to the co-author's, back to Nadal's, back to co-author's. Difficult to pull off, but these two have done it! A reader gets both the perspective, perceptions, and personality (as well as game analysis) of Rafael Nadal, who, it turns out, is articulate and thoughtful about himself and about tennis, and the factual, chronological, and objective narrative of the 'outside' sports writer. One comes away with a better understanding of match play, the game that is professional tennis, the balance between talent and commitment, and what goes on inside the mind of a top player who really thinks about the levels of the game. Not a star-studded, story of pain, glory, failed relationships, and overcoming depression and substance-abuse, a la Agassiz's also great recent autobiography, this one in a strange way, though less personal (or about a life less noisy), gives you more of the game itself, but still in a compelling and often spellbinding story.

I am neither a tennis player nor a tennis fan, I am a fan of The Rafa, as a human being. The book deals with the early life of Rafa, the MAKING of Rafa, i would love to call him The Man of Steel ! You will understand this when you read the book. The book explains in depth, what you need to be a true, warrior like sportsman, always enduring yourself even if there is slightest margin of your winning. You play a sport only when you give 100% of your sporting nature. It also tells us that no matter how Physically strong you are, you need to be Mentally strong, to strive in this world!!! or in this case Tennis! You might not come across such a down to earth person such as Rafa!!! The book also focuses on the family ties, their inter-personal relationship that helped Rafa to Flourish and attain this podium, no one ever dreamed of, not even his own uncle Toni!! Self beleif, a lot of motivation, supportive team members and bonding between them, is what is needed to be a Champ !

Fantástico, motivador y mucho que aprender de la mentalidad de Rafa, quien es para mi el mejor del mundo por lo que expresa en su libro.

Me ha encantado. Muy bien escrito - mezcla muy bien personalidad y vida personal con descripción de competiciones, partidos y entrenamiento mental. Muy ameno. Admiro a Rafa Nadal, pero tenia mía dudas sobre si me gustaría un libro de tenis, pero, la verdad me ha sorprendido - se habla mucho de tenis, pero muy interesante.

Non ancora finito, ma per ora molto interessante.

Le livre est arrivé sans la protection en plastique. Vue que le couverture est blanche et souple cela n'est pas terrible, surtout pour faire un cadeau. Mais le livre en soi est sympa.