by Susan Seemiller
Bob Larson's Tennis Celebs
April 10, 2024
On Sunday, many American tennis fans tuned in to watch Roger Federer in the NASDAQ 100 Open final in Miami. Many of them stayed tuned in because of his opponent, 18-year-old Spaniard Rafael Nadal.
As the undisputed No. 1 player, Federer is well known in the United States. Nadal has had his own successes, in Davis Cup and on clay, but until Sunday, when he was shown on a major TV network, he was relatively unknown to American fans. That has changed.
Nadal�s primary website, VamosRafael.com, saw its average hit count quadruple on Sunday, as almost 4500 visitors logged on to learn more about this teenager. Nadal may have lost the match to Federer, in five sets, but he gained many fans.
One new fan wrote, �It was a pleasure watching Nadal. It was my first exposure to him, and he made a fan out of me. I look forward to watching him for years to come.� Another was more blunt, � I watched the Miami final. Nadal was absolutely addicting to watch.�
The United States is discovering what Spain knows. Nadal is a big-match player with an even a bigger heart. He led the Spanish Davis Cup team to its second title last December, and followed that up with two ATP singles titles this year. He cannot make a move in Spain without being followed by cameras; that soon may be true in other countries as well.
Still, Rafa, as he is known to friends, tries to be a �normal� teenager. He engages in spirited PlayStation games with other Spanish players, including Carlos Moya and Juan Carlos Ferrero, and takes his CD player with him to interviews. (He currently is listening to La Oresa de Van Gogh, a popular Spanish band.)
In his spare time, Nadal plays soccer and golf, but fishing is a major passion. His father Sebastian still wonders how a boy, with so much energy, can sit for hours waiting for a good catch. With the way things are going, Rafa may have to be content with catching things other than fish.
**Please do not reproduce without giving credit to the original source and VamosRafael.com.**
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