Home Sweet Home
by Reyes and Angela
If there’s a question Rafa gets tired of being asked it should be the one about which is the best place in the world. No matter how many times journalists and fans ask him about that the answer is always the same:
Mallorca. His home.
Unfortunately for him - well maybe not so bad because that’s a sign that everything is going well in his tennis career - Rafa does not have as much free time as he would like to spare at home. He makes the most of the time he can be there in breaks during the tennis season or when it’s over. He especially enjoys being in Manacor, the second most important village in Mallorca with less than 40000 inhabitants.
Rafa finds at home all the peace, calmness and stillness he needs, and there, he feels he’s not a superstar but one more member of the community - although the last couple of times Palma airport has been a little bit crowded when he arrived. In Mallorca, Rafa has everything he needs: his family and his friends. There, he can do what he likes the most when he’s not playing tennis: playing golf, going fishing, going to the beach, sailing and playing soccer (especially beach football in summer time).
"Every time Rafael Nadal is asked what he misses the most when he is away travelling for so long, his answer is always the same: "Be at home, wake up in the morning and breakfast what my mother has done for me, have lunch at home and go for a walk with my friends"."
(13/07/2008, José Manuel Cuellar for ABC newspaper, Spain)
In a recent interview for a Spanish radio station, Ana Mª Parera, Rafa’s mum, confessed that once Rafa arrives home from a tournament, tennis is not a topic of conversation at home because it is Rafa’s life for the main part of the year but not when he is at home. In Manacor, Rafa enjoys the simple and basic things, and as his mother said in that interview: "Rafa is lucky enough to be in hotels where he can have whatever he wants to eat. But when he is at home what he really appreciates is a normal meal, nothing extraordinary ... bread and tomato which is something very basic"
When Rafa takes some time off from competition, to rest himself at home and to spend some time with his family and friends, it always makes all of us, his fans, so happy because we know that these moments are so rare for Rafa, with so much tennis in front of him every year.
Being away from home almost all the time is hard for everybody and for Rafa is no exception:
" It's tiring being away from home but what really exhausts you is the tension, the nerves, the routine, the obligation of focusing everything you do, from when you get up in the morning, in one direction: the match. Then, of course, there are the matches. Travelling is also tiring, but that doesn't affect me mentally. Well, if you are alone, it does. But, now, for example, my girlfriend was here in New York for a week and a half, and then my parents are coming... and I'm with Maymo, with my uncle, with Benito, with Carlos (Costa)..."
(MAGAZINE COVER STORY XL Seman.al No.1040, Sept 30-Oct 6, 2007)
"For me to have internet and my laptop is fundamental. I chat with friends, read the newspapers, look for anything, just everything. I also think how did the players did in the past. Must have been difficult. I mean the tennis players, traveling for weeks around the world and with no contact or very little contact with home. Yes, you had the phone but to know and read what's going on back home is something different, don't you think?"
(timesonline blog, Sunday, August 31, 2008)
"What else can I say from today? not much. You know, it is difficult to know what else to say or write after so many days out of home and at the same place. Probably that is even harder. Everyday is more of the same since we don't have much time to do other things. That's also why I like to answer the questions you send me. It makes it easier."
(timesonline blog, Tuesday, September 02, 2008)
Rafa very much enjoys being at home in Mallorca which he describes many times in his interviews and blogs as the best place to be for him:
"I have always said that Paris is one of my favorite cities, but there are many great cities. Monte Carlo has that something special and I also like New York. But believe me in the end the best place is Mallorca." (timesonline Q&A, Tuesday, August 26, 2008)
When he is at home he likes to spend the short time together with his family and friends.
"Hola Rafa! When you are away from home for a long time, you probably miss a lot of people. Who do you miss the most? Virginia Huynh"
RN: "My sister, my father and mother and in general my friends and family."
(timesonline blog, August 28, 2008)
"You previously mentioned that you miss being with your family when you are away on tour. How close are you to your sister? Do you often do things to wind each other up? Mandeep Glasgow, Scotland"
RN: "Hi, I am very close to my sister despite being 5 years older. I get along very well with her and I am very happy she is here. Sometimes we do wind each other up but not too often."
(timesonline blog, September 01, 2008)
"It’s tough to have a break. Last year, I made the conscious decision to schedule in two breaks. In the summer, I drove around in a boat in Ibiza with my friends for one week.’
(GQ - Gentleman's Quarterly, Edition: May 2008: Spanish Dynamite By Ronald Reng)
"His long-time friend Tomeu is teaching on court number three. Tomeu is a chatterbox who knows his "Rafel" through and through. We are the "pandilla’ (the gang) of the club. We’ve all gotten to know each other on these courts. On their fishing trips, during which Rafa imperturbably focuses on his fishing rod, Tomeu and his friends endlessly chatter away, laughing about all sorts of things that’s going on in the world. Tomeu throws a bit of light on a specific aspect of his friend’s character: “When we were little, he used to be quite reserved in our group but he would open up in a one-on-one conversation. He’s more extroverted right now, but he has always stayed the same on court."
Indeed, once he removes that warrior’s bandana after a match, his face finds that innocence again. "It’s very simple", confirms his mother Ana-Maria at Roland Garros "I don’t recognize my son when he’s on court."
(L’Equipe Magazine, Rafa on his island, July 26, 2008)
Activities like playing golf or fishing, are so enjoyed by Rafa and every time when he is at home he takes the time to do these.
"I am writing a short note as my last blog post from New York. I am flying back home to Spain and will have 3 days of rest. Finally holidays. I left home on July 18th and played Toronto, Cincinnati, Olympics in Beijing and here in New York since then. I will play some golf, be with friends, family maybe fish a bit and not much more. Don't have time for more. Then start practicing again to be ready for the Davis Cup. It will be big and I hope I will be at my top level with the help from the crowd."
(timesonline blog, September 08, 2008)
Q: "What do you do all week long in a boat?"
RN: "We fish. I love the slowness of fishing, the conversations, the silence and sometimes I even manage to catch a fish."
(GQ - Gentleman's Quarterly, Edition: May 2008: Spanish Dynamite By Ronald Reng)
We hope you'll always have great time at home, Rafa.
Mallorca. His home.
Unfortunately for him - well maybe not so bad because that’s a sign that everything is going well in his tennis career - Rafa does not have as much free time as he would like to spare at home. He makes the most of the time he can be there in breaks during the tennis season or when it’s over. He especially enjoys being in Manacor, the second most important village in Mallorca with less than 40000 inhabitants.
Rafa finds at home all the peace, calmness and stillness he needs, and there, he feels he’s not a superstar but one more member of the community - although the last couple of times Palma airport has been a little bit crowded when he arrived. In Mallorca, Rafa has everything he needs: his family and his friends. There, he can do what he likes the most when he’s not playing tennis: playing golf, going fishing, going to the beach, sailing and playing soccer (especially beach football in summer time).
"Every time Rafael Nadal is asked what he misses the most when he is away travelling for so long, his answer is always the same: "Be at home, wake up in the morning and breakfast what my mother has done for me, have lunch at home and go for a walk with my friends"."
(13/07/2008, José Manuel Cuellar for ABC newspaper, Spain)
In a recent interview for a Spanish radio station, Ana Mª Parera, Rafa’s mum, confessed that once Rafa arrives home from a tournament, tennis is not a topic of conversation at home because it is Rafa’s life for the main part of the year but not when he is at home. In Manacor, Rafa enjoys the simple and basic things, and as his mother said in that interview: "Rafa is lucky enough to be in hotels where he can have whatever he wants to eat. But when he is at home what he really appreciates is a normal meal, nothing extraordinary ... bread and tomato which is something very basic"
When Rafa takes some time off from competition, to rest himself at home and to spend some time with his family and friends, it always makes all of us, his fans, so happy because we know that these moments are so rare for Rafa, with so much tennis in front of him every year.
Being away from home almost all the time is hard for everybody and for Rafa is no exception:
" It's tiring being away from home but what really exhausts you is the tension, the nerves, the routine, the obligation of focusing everything you do, from when you get up in the morning, in one direction: the match. Then, of course, there are the matches. Travelling is also tiring, but that doesn't affect me mentally. Well, if you are alone, it does. But, now, for example, my girlfriend was here in New York for a week and a half, and then my parents are coming... and I'm with Maymo, with my uncle, with Benito, with Carlos (Costa)..."
(MAGAZINE COVER STORY XL Seman.al No.1040, Sept 30-Oct 6, 2007)
"For me to have internet and my laptop is fundamental. I chat with friends, read the newspapers, look for anything, just everything. I also think how did the players did in the past. Must have been difficult. I mean the tennis players, traveling for weeks around the world and with no contact or very little contact with home. Yes, you had the phone but to know and read what's going on back home is something different, don't you think?"
(timesonline blog, Sunday, August 31, 2008)
"What else can I say from today? not much. You know, it is difficult to know what else to say or write after so many days out of home and at the same place. Probably that is even harder. Everyday is more of the same since we don't have much time to do other things. That's also why I like to answer the questions you send me. It makes it easier."
(timesonline blog, Tuesday, September 02, 2008)
Rafa very much enjoys being at home in Mallorca which he describes many times in his interviews and blogs as the best place to be for him:
"I have always said that Paris is one of my favorite cities, but there are many great cities. Monte Carlo has that something special and I also like New York. But believe me in the end the best place is Mallorca." (timesonline Q&A, Tuesday, August 26, 2008)
When he is at home he likes to spend the short time together with his family and friends.
"Hola Rafa! When you are away from home for a long time, you probably miss a lot of people. Who do you miss the most? Virginia Huynh"
RN: "My sister, my father and mother and in general my friends and family."
(timesonline blog, August 28, 2008)
"You previously mentioned that you miss being with your family when you are away on tour. How close are you to your sister? Do you often do things to wind each other up? Mandeep Glasgow, Scotland"
RN: "Hi, I am very close to my sister despite being 5 years older. I get along very well with her and I am very happy she is here. Sometimes we do wind each other up but not too often."
(timesonline blog, September 01, 2008)
"It’s tough to have a break. Last year, I made the conscious decision to schedule in two breaks. In the summer, I drove around in a boat in Ibiza with my friends for one week.’
(GQ - Gentleman's Quarterly, Edition: May 2008: Spanish Dynamite By Ronald Reng)
"His long-time friend Tomeu is teaching on court number three. Tomeu is a chatterbox who knows his "Rafel" through and through. We are the "pandilla’ (the gang) of the club. We’ve all gotten to know each other on these courts. On their fishing trips, during which Rafa imperturbably focuses on his fishing rod, Tomeu and his friends endlessly chatter away, laughing about all sorts of things that’s going on in the world. Tomeu throws a bit of light on a specific aspect of his friend’s character: “When we were little, he used to be quite reserved in our group but he would open up in a one-on-one conversation. He’s more extroverted right now, but he has always stayed the same on court."
Indeed, once he removes that warrior’s bandana after a match, his face finds that innocence again. "It’s very simple", confirms his mother Ana-Maria at Roland Garros "I don’t recognize my son when he’s on court."
(L’Equipe Magazine, Rafa on his island, July 26, 2008)
Activities like playing golf or fishing, are so enjoyed by Rafa and every time when he is at home he takes the time to do these.
"I am writing a short note as my last blog post from New York. I am flying back home to Spain and will have 3 days of rest. Finally holidays. I left home on July 18th and played Toronto, Cincinnati, Olympics in Beijing and here in New York since then. I will play some golf, be with friends, family maybe fish a bit and not much more. Don't have time for more. Then start practicing again to be ready for the Davis Cup. It will be big and I hope I will be at my top level with the help from the crowd."
(timesonline blog, September 08, 2008)
Q: "What do you do all week long in a boat?"
RN: "We fish. I love the slowness of fishing, the conversations, the silence and sometimes I even manage to catch a fish."
(GQ - Gentleman's Quarterly, Edition: May 2008: Spanish Dynamite By Ronald Reng)