Rafael Nadal

Drew Parker Mrs. Edwards 15, October, 2012 Spch 102 Rafael Nadal Introduction A. ) Known by many as Rafa, Rafael Nadal is one of the top-ranked lawn tennis players in the world today. B. ) He has a combined record of 120-43, and doesnt seem to have any weaknesses and is compared to tennis legends like Andre Agassi and Bjorn Borg. C. ) His childhood, and his achievements this farther has made him who he is today, and as stated on Forbes. com, Nadal is the number 16 highest paid athlete with endorsements worth 25 million dollars. Transition Lets start with his roots. Body Main point 1 Nadal was born in Majorca, Spain on June 3rd, 1986. He began playing tennis and soccer at the term of 3, universe coached both by his Uncle Toni. According to The New York Times, there was a lot more soccer than tennis in Nadals childhood. His Uncle Toni was a top soccer player for Spains F. C Barcelona, and with his experience he trained Rafa to be a wide soccer player as well as tennis star. At t he age of 11 he decided to quit soccer and totally focus on tennis. He is naturally right handed, but his Uncle Toni hale him to play with his left hand because you can generate more spin that way.By playing left handed it gives Nadal a supreme advantage during his attend. When people serve right handed the ball bounces away from the player, and when people serve left handed the ball spins right into the opponents midsection. With majority of the tennis stars being right handed, it makes things truly difficult for an opponent of Nadals while returning serves. At the age of 15, Rafael was one of the highest ranked juniors in the world, and he jumped into the pros becoming one of the youngest players perpetually to win an adenosine triphosphate tour match. He achieved this when beating Ramon Delgado in Majorca 2002.This made him one 1 out of only 9 players to ever win an ATP match before the age of 16. Transition All of his accomplishments at an early age is a precursor for whats to fall down. Main point 2 Nadal has won many tournaments and many awards throughout his career. In 2003 at the age of 16 he was the youngest player ever to be ranked in the ATPs top 100. In the same year he won the ATP Newcomer of the Year award. He was also the youngest player ever to make it to a third round in a Grand Slam at Wimbledon at the age of 16. In 2005, at the age of 19 Nadal had one of the topper accomplishments of his career at that point. Atptour. om states, Nadal was the first teenager to win a Grand Slam since Pete Sampras in 1990. He won the French Open that year and had a combined 25 match-winning streak at the end of the year. Tom Oldfield stated in his book Rafael Nadal The Biography, Nadal had been known as a clay court specializer since playing in his first tournaments in 2001. So it wasnt a surprise that he would win the French Open. Nadal has won 71 total single titles, and 11 doubles titles totaling in 82 career tournament wins. Sports Illustrated h as Nadal down for winning 11 grand slams to this day, which ties him for 4th on the all time list.He is rear end all-time greats like Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, and Roger Federer. He is tied with another German great Bjorn Borg He has won 7 French Opens, 1 U. S. open, 1 Australian Open, and 2 Wimbledon Opens. He also won the Olympic gold in 2008 making him one of the most well rounded players in the game. He is only 23 years old at this point, and has done much more than other tennis players do in their whole career. No one may come close to matching the number of Grand Slams he could end up winning. Transition All of these achievements could lead to nothing more than some serious exchange flow. Main point 3-Rafa is one of the highest paid athletes in the world. According to celeb crystaliseworth. org Rafa has sponsorships with, Kia motors, Babolat, Nike, Bacardi, Richard Mille, and Armani. His Nike endorsement is worth 21 million per year. With all of these endorsements and hi s career earnings, Nadal is at a net worth of around 60 million dollars per year making him the 16th ranked highest paid athletes. This puts him on the list of names along with Michael Phelps, Lebron James, Alex Rodriguez, and other exceedingly paid athletes. In 2012 he has already gained 26 million in endorsements and 34 million in annual earnings. TransitionThis takes us to our conclusion. Conclusion A. ) Weve been everyplace Rafaels childhood, his achievements, and his earnings. By doing this we see how much he means to the game of tennis. He was one of the youngest players ever to win a Grand Slam, and is endorsed by names like Nike, Babolat, and Armani, which only endorse the best athletes. B. ) He is currently the 16th highest paid athlete and the future looks bright for Nadal. At a current age of only 23, Nadal has a chance to become one of the greatest of all times, and at the pace hes going he has a great opportunity to beat Federers record holding 17 Grand Slams.