A new biography of Rafael Nadal focuses on the tennis star's domination on clay

Summary

NPR's Book of the Day: A Detailed Summary

Episode Title:
A new biography of Rafael Nadal focuses on the tennis star's domination on clay

Release Date:
May 21, 2025

Podcast Overview:
In this episode of NPR's Book of the Day, host Scott Tong delves into Christopher Clary's latest biography, The Warrior Rafael Nadal and His Kingdom of Clay. The biography offers an in-depth exploration of Rafael Nadal's unparalleled dominance on clay courts, particularly his record-breaking achievements at the French Open. Through insightful discussions, Clary sheds light on Nadal's personality, playing style, rivalries, and the intricate balance he maintained between his personal life and professional career.

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Introduction to Rafael Nadal and the Biography

[00:02] Andrew Limbong:
Andrew Limbong opens the episode by highlighting the unique nature of tennis, where time often takes a backseat compared to other sports like basketball or football. He introduces Christopher Clary's biography, The Warrior Rafael Nadal and His Kingdom of Clay, emphasizing the book's focus on how Nadal manages time both on and off the court.

Quote:
"When you watch tennis on TV, there's no timer on the display like there are in other sports." — Andrew Limbong [00:02]

Rafael Nadal's Retirement and Legacy

[01:29] Scott Tong:
Scott Tong announces Rafael Nadal's retirement after a storied career, capturing his influence and legacy in the world of tennis.

[01:36] Rafael Nadal:
Nadal reflects on his legacy, expressing a desire to be remembered as a good person from a small village in Mallorca rather than just for his titles and records.

Quote:
"The titles, the numbers, people probably know that. But the way that I would like to be remembered more is like a good person from a small village in Mallorca." — Rafael Nadal [01:36]

In-Depth Discussion with Christopher Clary

[01:51] Scott Tong:
Tong provides an overview of Nadal's achievements, particularly his dominance at the French Open with a record 14 titles and an astounding 112 wins to just four losses. He introduces Christopher Clary, the author, who also penned a biography of Roger Federer.

[02:33] Christopher Clary:
Clary begins the conversation by discussing Nadal's unique confidence, or rather, his tendency to run on doubt, which he attributes to his upbringing by his uncle Tony.

Quote:
"Nadal runs on doubt. And I think Nadal needs that, and that's sort of the way he was raised by his Uncle Tony, who was his mentor in tennis." — Christopher Clary [02:52]

Nadal's Contrarian Spirit and Personality

[03:06] Scott Tong:
Tong inquires about Nadal's demeanor, noting a surprising lack of overt confidence typical among elite athletes.

[03:10] Christopher Clary:
Clary elaborates on Nadal's contrarian nature, explaining that Nadal often reacts defensively when others doubt his chances, reflecting a deep-seated desire to prove himself.

Quote:
"There's a little bit of that contrarian dinner table spirit. It's sort of like that with Nadal." — Christopher Clary [03:10]

Nadal's Emotional Side and Rituals

[03:35] Scott Tong:
Tong plays an audio clip of Nadal expressing his emotions during a significant moment at the Paris Olympics, showcasing his human and sensitive side.

[04:16] Scott Tong:
He follows up by asking about Nadal's humanity and emotional control.

[04:19] Christopher Clary:
Clary responds by highlighting Nadal's sensitive nature and the rituals he developed to manage his emotions, emphasizing the balance between his fierce competitiveness and underlying fragility.

Quote:
"He has this underlying fragility and sort of sense of wanting to keep proving himself to himself." — Christopher Clary [04:45]

Nadal's Tennis Origins and Playing Style

[05:04] Scott Tong:
Tong requests a quick origin story of Nadal's introduction to tennis.

[05:06] Christopher Clary:
Clary shares that both Nadal and Novak Djokovic grew up near tennis courts, but Nadal's family's strong ties to soccer led him to tennis under the mentorship of his uncle Tony. Nadal's early prowess was evident, with a remarkable ability to return every ball.

[05:46] Scott Tong:
He notes Nadal's unique left-handed play, despite being naturally right-handed.

[05:50] Christopher Clary:
Clary explains that Nadal plays with two hands on both his forehand and backhand, a rarity in men's tennis, attributing this to Tony's coaching philosophy.

Quote:
"He has two hands on both sides, which is very rare, especially on the men's side." — Christopher Clary [05:50]

Dominance on Clay Courts

[06:12] Scott Tong:
Tong praises Nadal's 14 French Open titles and inquires about what makes him so suited to clay.

[06:23] Christopher Clary:
Clary discusses how clay was Nadal's childhood surface, rewarding grit and strategic point construction. He elaborates on the physical and technical aspects that make Nadal a formidable clay court player, including his ability to generate both speed and spin.

Quote:
"Clay still requires you to construct a point in an old-fashioned way... it's very, very hard to learn to be a native slider, which Nadal was." — Christopher Clary [06:58]

Relationship with French Fans

[07:42] Scott Tong:
Tong probes into Nadal's relationship with French fans, given his dominance at the French Open.

[07:49] Christopher Clary:
Clary describes the relationship as complex. Initially, French fans were skeptical and sometimes antagonistic, especially after Nadal's first loss at the French Open in 2009. However, Nadal's unwavering performance and integrity eventually earned their respect.

Quote:
"The crowd was actively rooting against him... but Nadal went to court, vehemently fought against the allegations." — Christopher Clary [07:49]

Rivalries with Federer and Djokovic

[08:44] Scott Tong:
Tong shifts the focus to Nadal's rivalries with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, questioning the authenticity of Nadal's portrayal of these relationships.

[08:56] Rafael Nadal:
In an interview clip, Nadal speaks about maintaining professional relationships despite fierce rivalries, emphasizing mutual respect.

Quote:
"We can be the biggest rivals, but at the same time, we can be colleagues. I mean, I don't say best friends, but we can have a good personal relationship." — Rafael Nadal [08:56]

[09:12] Christopher Clary:
Clary affirms the genuineness of Nadal's sentiments, citing emotional moments such as Federer’s retirement ceremony where both players displayed authentic emotion, highlighting their deep mutual respect.

Quote:
"Rafa and Roger... have a lot in common." — Christopher Clary [09:12]

Nadal's Tics and Rituals

[09:39] Scott Tong:
Tong addresses Nadal's well-known pre-serve rituals, questioning their origin.

[09:50] Christopher Clary:
Clary reveals that Nadal's rituals were introduced by his early coach Geoffrey Porta to help manage his intense play style and conserve energy. These rituals are a learned behavior to bring calm and control to his game.

Quote:
"His true nature is much more of a manic, aggressive, let's resolve the conflict thing. But it was a learned behavior." — Christopher Clary [09:50]

Insights from Christopher Clary

[10:27] Scott Tong:
Tong asks Clary about unexpected learnings from writing the biography.

[10:32] Christopher Clary:
Clary emphasizes the collective effort behind Nadal's success, highlighting how his community and support system were pivotal. He underscores Nadal's relentless internal drive to constantly improve, an innate quality that cannot be taught.

Quote:
"Whatever that is inside Rafa, that desire to improve constantly... that internal flame, I don't think you can teach that or create that." — Christopher Clary [10:32]

Conclusion

[11:01] Scott Tong:
Tong wraps up the discussion, reiterating the book's title and thanking Clary for his insights.

[11:12] Christopher Clary:
Clary signs off, expressing his pleasure in discussing the book.

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Final Thoughts:
Christopher Clary's biography of Rafael Nadal offers a comprehensive look into the life of one of tennis's greatest athletes. Through detailed analysis of Nadal's playing style, psychological makeup, and relationships within the tennis community, the book presents a multifaceted portrait of the "King of Clay." The episode effectively captures the essence of Nadal's legacy, his unique approach to the game, and the personal attributes that fueled his extraordinary success.

Notable Quotes for Reflection:

• "Nadal runs on doubt. And I think Nadal needs that..." — Christopher Clary [02:52]
• "We can be the biggest rivals, but at the same time, we can be colleagues." — Rafael Nadal [08:56]
• "Whatever that is inside Rafa, that desire to improve constantly... that internal flame, I don't think you can teach that or create that." — Christopher Clary [10:32]

This episode serves as an insightful guide for anyone interested in understanding the complexities behind Rafael Nadal's extraordinary career and his enduring impact on the sport of tennis.

Transcript

[Andrew Limbong]

Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. When you watch tennis on tv, there's no timer on the display like there are in other sports. Time takes a backseat compared to basketball or football. And yet in today's book about one of the greatest tennis players of all time, there's a lot of talk about managing time. The book is the Warrior Rafael Nadal and His Kingdom of Clay. It's a biography of Rafael Nadal, one of the most famous tennis players. It's written by Christopher Clary, who used to be a tennis correspondent at the New York Times. And Clary tells here now Scott Tong about how everything from Nadal's tics to his choice of terrain came down to controlling time. That's ahead.

[Scott Tong]

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[Scott Tong]

Last year, tennis superstar and legend Rafael Nadal retired after a remarkable record breaking career.

[Rafael Nadal]

The titles, the numbers, people probably know that. But the way that I would like to be remembered more is like a good person from a small village in Mallorca. That.

[Scott Tong]

That audio was courtesy of the Tennis Channel. Rafa, as he's known, won every major championship during rivalries with two others whose accomplishments are also stunning and may never be equaled, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. For his part, Nadal was almost unbeatable on the clay courts of the French Open. He won it a record 14 times. Think about that. And his record at the French was a ridiculous 112 wins, four losses. There's a new book on his life, the Rafael Nadal in His Kingdom of Clay. The author is former longtime New York Times tennis correspondent Christopher Clary. He's also written a biography of Federer. And Christopher joins us in studio. Hey, good to see you, Scott.

[Christopher Clary]

Good to be here. Good to see that book on the table.

[Scott Tong]

There it is, the red color of the red clay of the French Open, which we're going to talk about. You know, one thing that surprised me reading this is Nadal's confidence. Some elite athletes go in thinking, mentally, I'm the best in the world, and that's how I'm going to perform at my best. Nadal, not so much.

[Christopher Clary]

Yeah. Jim Currier, you know, the great commentator and was number one in the world, he says Nadal runs on doubt. And I think that's a good way to put it. I think Nadal needs that, and that's sort of the way he was raised by his Uncle Tony, who was his mentor in tennis and the reason he plays tennis instead of soccer.

[Scott Tong]

And in your interviews with Nadal, did you sense that yourself?

[Christopher Clary]

Yeah. It's interesting, Scott. There's a contrarian spirit in the Nadal family. If you tell Rafa, oh, you got this match in the bag, there's no question. You got to be the favorite. You've won, you know, 12, 13 French opens by now. You're going to win again. Right. He will respond to you arguing against your point. But if you ever tell him he doesn't have a chance, which was sometimes the case in some of the early years on grass, things like that, then the reaction is also a little bit, I guess, defensive in a different way. So there's a little bit of that contrarian dinner table spirit. If Nadal is like that.

[Scott Tong]

I want to play a cut of audio from Nadal in an interview with Andy Roddick, the retired American tennis star. Of course, this is about the Olympics last year in Paris. Nadal learned last minute, as he tells the story that he was going to carry the torch in front of the world, and it's going to be passed to by Zidane, the French soccer legend. And he kind of freaked out. Let's take a listen.

[Rafael Nadal]

When I realized the moment, I started to cry a little bit before, and when I started to cry, I say, shut up, man. Stop it. It's not the moment to cry. It's the moment to enjoy. So I say, okay, try to not be too emotional. Just enjoy the moment. So I say, okay, let's go out, let's do the thing, and, yeah, let's have fun.

[Scott Tong]

Did he always have that side of humanity in his life?

[Christopher Clary]

He's got a real sensitive side to him, for sure. And I think a lot of the rituals and things that he does, Scott, through his career are meant to control a lot of those emotions and things that go on. And that is very touching because that's also Paris. Just to have that moment there in Paris. I think he felt all of that. And then Zidane, because Rafa, if he loves anything more than clay court tennis, it's real Madrid. But, yeah, I think there is a fragility to Nadal, despite this sort of monstrous way that he can dominate a monstrous biceps.

[Scott Tong]

Come on.

[Christopher Clary]

Yeah, exactly. But I think honestly, over time, and that's the great about tennis, Scott, is that people get to know these guys on such an intimate level and they have their strong opinions from watching him for 20 years. And I think you could sense, despite the amazing ability that Nadal has, there is this underlying fragility and sort of sense of wanting to keep proving himself to himself.

[Scott Tong]

Give us the quick tennis origin story.

[Christopher Clary]

Well, the funny thing is that Novak Djokovic and Rafa both grew up across the street from tennis courts. Literally, if something else had been across the street, it might have been a different story. Novak's parents were skiers and Rafa's family, including his soccer. Yeah, soccer was. His uncle, Miguel angel was a big soccer star in Spain. You know, played for Barca and played for Mallorca and the national team. And Rafa grew up in that culture of that. And he had one uncle, Tony, who was a very, very good national level tennis player, took Rafa out and played with him. And Rafa showed this incredible ability from an early age. He just didn't miss a ball.

[Scott Tong]

He, of course, played tennis lefty, but he's a natural righty.

[Christopher Clary]

I would call him mixed handed. He signs autographs with his right hand, plays golf right handed. He does about everything right handed.

[Scott Tong]

Was there a reason his coaches said there might be some advantage to playing tennis lefty?

[Christopher Clary]

Ultimately, they left it up to him. What they did impose was he had two hands off both sides. He had a two handed forehand and a two handed backhand. Two handed backhands are coin of the realm at the highest level in tennis. Two handed forehands are very, very rare. And Tony, his uncle, said, I don't know anybody who reached number one in the world with two hands on both sides.

[Scott Tong]

Well, it limits your reach.

[Christopher Clary]

Except for Monica Seles in the women's game, who did that. But on the men's side, it's never happened.

[Scott Tong]

Of course, his huge weapon was this left handed forehand and this looping spin. But as you write, it's not just the amount of spin which has been measured, but the speed plus the spin.

[Christopher Clary]

So he's able to just create pace and spin at the same time. Both he and Federer are able to do that. They hit something called a straight arm Forehand, extremely difficult to time and get right. But if you do, it's kind of the ultimate solution to the physics problem of how to hit a forehand. It grinds you down, it wears you out. Just incredibly high bouncing and heavy.

[Scott Tong]

Nadal won a ridiculous 14 French Open titles, in addition to Wimbledon and the Australian Open and the US Open. Of course, the French Open is on the clay surface, not the hard courts, not grass. What about his game, or maybe his personality is suited to clay?

[Christopher Clary]

Well, first of all, it was his childhood surface. And I think it's a surface that rewards grit because it's gritty itself, but also because it's a bit slower and the ball bounces up a bit higher. You have more time for point construction, much more tennis geometry that's expressed. The game is sped up so much with the technology, the rackets and the strings. Clay still requires you to construct a point in kind of the old fashioned way. And I think just sort of the way clay gets under your skin, in your pores, everywhere, over your socks and everything else, it becomes part of you clay. It's slippery choreography of that is key. And it's very, very hard to learn to be a native slider, which Nadal was. And a lot of these great clay court champions have been over the years. And I think Nadal is a dancer on the clay as well as he's a battler on the clay.

[Scott Tong]

He won so many times in Paris. But let me ask you, what was his relationship with French fans?

[Christopher Clary]

Complex in a lot of ways. I mean, the French traditionally liked the underdog, and Nadal was anything but an underdog. First match he lost there in 2009 against Robin Soderling of Sweden. The crowd was actively rooting against him. And at that point, I think there was a combination of tired of the same story every year, which is totally understandable. And also because of Nadal's outrageous dominance in a time in world sport when there was a lot of questions about doping and other issues like that, and there were some allegations that were made, nothing was ever proven. Nadal actually went to court, vehemently fought against.

[Scott Tong]

But this was at the time of Lance Armstrong doping scandals, right around the.

[Christopher Clary]

Many track and field scandals. And I just think there was sort of this sense from Armstrong, especially, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. And it's true what he was doing. Even to me, I watched everyone and it still just boggles my mind to think someone was able to do that. And against the likes of Djokovic and Federer, these are all time great players. And he was able to do that the way he did it.

[Scott Tong]

The rivalries with Federer, with Novak Djokovic. We know some rivals hate each other, but Nadal. Well, let's hear Nadal talk about rivalries and human relationships again with his interview with Andy Ruddock.

[Rafael Nadal]

I think we show the world that we can be the biggest rivals, but at the same time, we can be colleagues. I mean, I don't say best friends, but we can have a good personal relationship.

[Scott Tong]

Do you sense that what he's saying here, given all that, you know, and all the time you spent with Rafael Nadal, that that's really genuine?

[Christopher Clary]

I think what he said there really describes how it all turned out. All you have to do is watch Roger Federer's retirement ceremony in London a couple years ago when they're both crying and the emotion's real. And I think they came to realize those two, and I think Djokovic as well as part of it. But really, Rafa and Roger, who were the first ones to create the rivalry, their great matches, their rivalry was bigger than their sport, and it could help the sport as a whole. And I think they really embrace that. And ultimately, the more you know about them and the more you report on them, Roger and Rafa have a lot in common.

[Scott Tong]

You know, I have to ask about his ticks. We've all seen this. Right before Nadal serves, he fixes his hair, pulls on his shorts, bounces at the tennis ball many, many times. Where is that from?

[Christopher Clary]

It's a great question. And one of the things I learned, I talked to a guy named Geoffrey Porta, who was one of the assistant coaches, if you will, in Rafa's very early career in Mallorca, the island that he's from. And Porta said that, you know, when he and Tony are watching Rafa play young, they noticed he was playing at light speed, and he's a heavy investment kind of guy, and it was wearing him out. So they actually introduced the idea of slowing things down with a few rituals. And ultimately, the guy that you see, the guy that we've seen for so many years in this sort of ponderous, ritualistic, get on with it, Rafa. Yeah, that's not really his true nature. His true nature is much more of a manic, aggressive, let's resolve the conflict thing. But it was a learned behavior.

[Scott Tong]

Finally, what do you learn? Maybe something you didn't know from writing this book about Nadal.

[Christopher Clary]

I think the more you sort of spend time in his culture and his community, you realize it kind of took a village. They all played a role in kind of giving him the elements that he needed. And the idea this book, Scott, was to look at all the effects he had on people within the tennis community, especially the French Open community and the clay court community. It's just that whatever that is inside Rafa, that desire to improve constantly, no matter what the results are, that internal flame, I don't think you can teach that or create that. That's something that comes from deep inside you. And I think he has that.

[Scott Tong]

The book is the Raphael Nadal and His Kingdom of Clay. And we've been talking to the author, Christopher Clary. Christopher, congratulations on getting this out and thanks so much for talking about it.

[Christopher Clary]

My pleasure. Scene.

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