Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 17, 2021 Spain’s Rafael Nadal in action during his quarter final match against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 17, 2021 Spain’s Rafael Nadal in action during his quarter final match against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Rafael Nadal, the 22 times Grand Slam champion, is one of the most considerate professionals. Just like his biggest rival and best friend, Roger Federer, he believes in giving back to society. A part of that belief is due to Rafael Nadal Academy from where young blood such as Casper Ruud emerges.
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However, besides training and guiding young aspirants, his academy also acts as a center for professionals seeking redevelopment. Speaking of which, the French tennis ace Benoît Paire recently opened up about the organization’s role in bringing his life back on track.
Paire shares his story of reform
Paire on Thursday took to Twitter to inform his fans about how he dealt with the factors that might have caused a diversion in his career. He wrote, “Lately, I have taken myself in hand.”
🎙️Benoît Paire (à Brest) : "Ces derniers temps, je me suis repris en main. J'ai arrêté l'alcool, j'ai arrêté de sortir, j'ai fait 10 jours de stage à l'académie de Nadal avec Gabi Urpi, avec qui j'ai beaucoup discuté. Je me sens enfin capable de revenir à mon meilleur niveau." pic.twitter.com/bdfTpJM33K
— Rémi Bourrieres (@remibourrieres) October 26, 2022
Thereafter, the right-handed tennis ace added, “I stopped drinking. I stopped going out, I did a 10-day internship at the academy of Nadal with Gabi Urpi, with whom I spoke a lot. I finally feel able to return to my best level.” The 33-year-old is currently competing in the home-based tournament.
Paire got the better of his first opponent in straight sets of 7-6 6-3. Now he will look forward to thrashing Jelle Sels in the round of 16 of the Brest Challenger. Coming to Nadal, his last appearance was in the Laver Cup.
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LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 23: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal of Team Europe walk to embrace each other at the end of the match during the doubles match between Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe of Team World and Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal of Team Europe during Day One of the Laver Cup at The O2 Arena on September 23, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup)
The former World No 1 played alongside the 20 times Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in his last match to give him a proper farewell. They played under the banner of Team Europe and clashed with Team World’s duo of Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock. Although they dragged the match to the third set, they failed to get past the Americans.
What’s ahead of Rafael Nadal?
The 36-year-old has decided to take part in two more events before packing the year that brought him 2 Grand Slam titles. Nadal will soon compete for the trophy at Paris Masters and ATP Tour Finals in Turin. However, he will not be a part of Spain’s team for the Davis Cup.
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In Nadal’s absence, the 2022 US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz will lead the team. Spain will have Pablo Carreno Busta, Roberto Bautista Agut, and Marcel Granollers for the upcoming knockout phase of the Davis Cup Finals.
Written by
Edited by
Hitesh Nigam