November 6, 2024

by Jane Bramley
www.nikejuniortour.com

Three times winner of the Nike Junior Tour, Rafael Nadal of Spain, says the time that he was playing NJT Tennis was the best period of his life so far.

The 17-year-old, currently ranked 45th in the world, has been at Sun City, where the 2003 Tournament is being played, as the Nike-sponsored patron of the tournament. He won the NJT International Masters in 1998,1999 and 2000.

"NJT is such fun," he said. "It�s a great experience and the players are really looked after very well. The last time I played International Masters was here at Sun City, so it is great to come back here."

While at Sun City, Nadal has played several rounds of golf on the world-renowned Gary Player Golf Course. On Monday, he and several Nike executives went on an elephant-back safari in the nearby Pilanesberg Game Reserve. During the safari, the party came very close to rhino, which were completely unperturbed by their presence.

Nadal said his first year as a professional had been a very good one. His first ambition had been to break into the top 100 within the first year. He achieved that in six months, and has since broken into the top 50. His next aim is to reach the top 25 by the end of 2004. He also hoped to represent Spain in the Davis Cup one day.

The young left-hander, who has been described as one of the most exciting prospects since World Number 1, Juan Carlos Ferrero, said the end of the year had been disappointing, because he had been sidelined by injury. Asked which of the Grand Slams he would most like to win, he said Wimbledon was the tournament to win. Although most of his tennis had been played on clay, he said he enjoyed playing on any surface, and he thought grass was particularly challenging.

Asked why Spain was such a dominant force in world tennis at present, Nadal said he thought there were two reasons. "The first is that the Spanish players work very hard at their game, and also they are all very hungry and very competitive. They also compete against one another, although most of our top players are very good friends," he said.

Spain won the NJT/World TeamTennis Cup on Tuesday, and Spanish players Gueorgui Roumenov and Steven Diez are the number one seeds in the Boys Under 14 and Under 12 competitions at the NJT International Masters.