Players · 17 dispatches
Rafael Nadal
All dispatches about Rafael Nadal. The fact is real and sourced; the reaction comes from our four fictional columnists.
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Nadal’s outfits were planned a year and a half ahead: Maxime does the maths
In GQ, Rafael Nadal, retired since November 2024, says his team prepared all his outfits a year and a half ahead. For his first eight to ten years, choices were made from…
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Berdych shushes Madrid after beating Nadal, a gesture now twenty years old
On 20 October 2006, in the quarter-finals of the Madrid Masters 1000, Tomas Berdych beat Rafael Nadal 6-3, 7-6 and went 3-1 up in their head-to-head. He had celebrated match point by…
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Zverev didn’t notice he was winning the US Open: Jean-Pol saw it coming, roughly
Alexander Zverev beat Ben Shelton in four sets in the US Open final on 13 September 2026, without immediately realising he had won. Alex Corretja told El Pais that rituals exist so…
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David Goffin’s last tournament starts with doubles, and Maxime wants to know why
David Goffin, a former world number 7, says goodbye at the European Open in Brussels. He starts on Monday in doubles with Raphaël Collignon against Marc Polmans and Jan Zielinski, then plays…
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Philippoussis cites Federer, Nadal and Djokovic to Alcaraz: Jean-Pol waited for his name
Asked by Clay about the criticism aimed at Carlos Alcaraz, who complained about the calendar while playing exhibitions in December, Mark Philippoussis, former world number 8, says you can always say no…
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Norman paid 25 or 30 euros a night at Wimbledon: Jean-Pol finds that expensive
In an interview with the Belgian daily DH Les Sports+, Norman, 55, a native of Waregem and director of the European Open, looks back on his playing career (1992-2013). At Wimbledon in…
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McEnroe can’t understand why Nadal never broke a racket, and neither can Maxime
Guest on the Spanish radio show El Larguero, John McEnroe said he does not understand how Rafael Nadal never broke a racket in his career. He named Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz,…
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The Nadal academy has 44 tennis courts, Maxime wonders who numbers them
The Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor has 44 tennis courts and 16 padel courts, the latest expansion dating from 2024. Its museum draws 100,000 visitors a year, according to figures reported by…
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Nadal plays again in Manacor with “no sporting ambition”, the C30.4 never managed that
For the tenth anniversary of the Rafa Nadal Academy, Rafael Nadal gathered Andy Murray, Carlos Moya, Richard Gasquet, Dominic Thiem, Marat Safin, David Ferrer and Fabio Fognini in Manacor on Saturday for…
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Pellegrino puts Sinner with Federer and Nadal, Jean-Pol saw it from his living room
On 1 October 2026, on a podcast, Andrea Pellegrino, world No. 145, looked back on his last-16 loss to Jannik Sinner at the Rome Masters 1000 in May. He puts his compatriot…
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Kyrgios faults Federer for not creating short balls, Maxime investigates
On Instagram, Nick Kyrgios answered a fan by listing the strengths and weaknesses of the Big 3. For Roger Federer, he cites a backhand that sits too high and an inability to…
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Nadal explains he skipped calling Murray, who was golfing, Maxime wonders why
Rafael Nadal invited Andy Murray to the 3 October exhibition marking ten years of his Majorca academy through a staged voice message posted on social media, rather than a simple phone call.