Rafael Nadal and I were separated at birth

Posted on Oct 21, 2009 in People | 10 comments

Can barely tell us apart huh? Yup, I know, we’re practically twins. If only I didn’t look damn Chinese. Or look like I am posing with a tudung on. Sigh.

Oh well, it was worth a try.

I was just trying to be funny because that’s the first thought that came to my mind when I saw that picture of tennis star, world no.2 and my 3rd favouritest tennis player (after Andy Roddick and Marat Safin, of course) Rafael Nadal.

Really couldn’t place why I look so awkward in that hoodie. My boss said it’s because I didn’t grow up in the hood or a ghetto. Then again, I don’t think Nadal did either! But I suppose you need to be cool – like him – to pull of these sorts of poses (just look at how natural he looks in the shots below, eh?). And I, er, have a pretty tragic Blue Steel. In case you couldn’t tell from the shot above already.

The same might not be the case for you. If you think that you, like Nadal, can look smoking in the Nike AW77, well, hellooooo … Nike store! *hehe* Anyways … this post is really about Rafael Nadal’s photoshoot for the above picture. There were many more taken (obviously, I only have the red AW77 while he has all the different colours) so I thought I’d share some of the shots – courtesy of Nike – below.

There was also a video released in conjunction with the release of these photos, and in it, includes snippets from an interview with Nadal himself. He speaks Spanish though, but there are subtitles.

However, I had access to the full interview and I thought I’d pick out a couple of my favourite quotes of his:

What does sport mean to you?
Well, sport for me is something truly special, because it’s a very important part of my life. I think that sport, in my opinion, can be translated into “effort”.

What is the meaning of winning to Rafael Nadal?
In my opinion, winning is not always the simple fact of winning. For me, when I play on the court, if I’ve gotten better, to me, that’s winning, because, in the end, I’ve surpassed myself, right? For me, the fact of winning is personal excellence.

You have often said you like simple things. What does being simple or simplicity mean in your life?
Whenever possible, I like simple things. I like being with, with my lifelong friends. I like being with my family.  And I’m in my environment with my friends all the time.  Many times people want to complicate things.  I think in the end, you don’t need so many things.  Off the court, I see how being more normal, it can help you to be better on the court.

And here is the video!

12.24am Malaysian time (+8 GMT)

Oh, in case you didn’t see this coming, I am one of the local personalities involved in the Nike+ Human Race 10K Ambassador’s Challenge.