“Make everyone around you feel free to say things, good or bad,” Rafael Nadal emphasizes the importance of communication inside a team in an individual sport like tennis
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Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal has had a mixed season so far. He returned to tour at the start of the year after an injury and won three back-to-back titles including the Australian Open. He then made it to the final of the Indian Wells Masters but in the process, got himself injured. He was ruled out for a month due to a hairline rib fracture and didn’t have a good build-up to the French Open either.
But against all goods, with an ailing foot, he won a record 14th Roland Garros title- his 22nd major title. Nadal got treatment on his foot and played at Wimbledon for the first time in three years. He reached the semifinals but had to withdraw before the match due to an abdomen injury.
Nadal is currently in recovery and will return to the tour next month for the North-American swing. He is enjoying some time off with his family and friends now. Recently in an interview, Nadal spoke about the importance of making his team comfortable and how having a team in an individual sport is different than that in a team sport.
‘I don’t think everyone who works with me felt that danger’: Rafael Nadal on his team
He said that in a team sport, the dynamics around a coach are different as a club is involved in it who pays and looks after the coach. But in an individual sport like tennis, he himself pays for everyone and he is the boss.
“In team sports, you have a coach who is appointed by the club. It hires a trainer and the player is also paid. But the coach is the boss. In our sport, I am the one who pays the trainer, the physical trainer, and the physiotherapist. In the end, you are the boss,” he said.
He added that you aren’t helping yourself If you don’t make everyone around you feel free to say things, good or bad, without risking their jobs. He also said that he’s had almost the same team since the start of his career and all of them feel confident in telling him the things they believe in.
“If you don’t make everyone around you feel free to say things, good or bad, without risking their jobs, then you’re not helping yourself. I don’t think everyone who works with me felt that danger. I’ve pretty much had the same team since I started and they all feel confident telling me the things they believe in,” he said.
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Lakshya Chopra
(2595 Articles Published)