Rafael Nadal is known as 'the warrior', which is a very fitting nickname because if he weren't, Rafael Nadal we've come to know over the past 20 years would never have existed.
The Spaniard's these days is in limbo. No one really knows if his comeback attempts will be fruitful. The two he had this year were good tennis-wise, but his body didn't hold up either time.
Is he giving up? No, he's not because he's a warrior who will keep fighting until all hope is basically lost. That's what it's always been for Nadal, who doesn't really know anything different.
His career was anything but smooth sailing, which his uncle, Toni Nadal, can confirm. Speaking to Super Deportivo Radio, the Spaniard's former coach explained how Nadal was told that his career was over before it even properly began.
"I saw a boy (Nadal) who had physical problems from birth and that he had to combat since he was little. He taught me that, even if you have many problems, you can continue trying to achieve the goals you set for yourself. He taught me that, despite having many successes, he always kept his feet on the ground."
Most tennis fans are aware of Nadal's problems, but they weren't the only problems. Whether it was a problem with his foot or his knees, the Spaniard never allowed that to come between him and his goals.
"Rafael had a problem with one of his feet from birth, a bad formation in a bone in his feet. It is a congenital problem that caused him a lot of pain. There were games that were long and the pain was incessant."
"This caused a lot of problems for his feet, they had to change his insoles, which changed the way he supported his feet. I remember that the doctor and specialist we visited in 2005 told us that his career was over."
He's still doing that, and judging by how things went in the past, another success story certainly can't be ruled out, as 20 years after first being told he wouldn't make it, he's still here.
"Other patients who had this problem only did very light sports. 20 years have passed and my nephew is still trying; he has a record of consecutive participations in Masters at the end of the year and for 17 years he finished in the top eight."
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