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Rafael Nadal would join the other local boys at his uncle Toni's tennis lessons when he was 3 years old.
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Rafael Nadal would become the under-12 champion of the Balearic Islands at the age of 8, after performing well in the local tournaments.
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Rafael Nadal would begin to participate in tournaments around Spain. He would perform well and become the under-12 national champion of Spain.
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Due to his poor studies, his parents would force him to attend the Balearic Spots School to improve his studies. This would be unsuccessful as he was unable to properly work at both his studies and tennis.
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After gaining fame, he would be invited to his first international tournament, the Nike Junior Tour International in Sun City, South Africa. He would win the tournament at the age of 13.
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Rafael Nadal had played soccer and tennis with equal interest, however, due to his poor studies, he was forced to choose between one of them. He would decide to continue with tennis and quit soccer.
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After winning multiple tournaments Rafael Nadal found himself at the under-14 national championship. Despite breaking his pinky in his left hand, his dominant hand, he would continue his winning streak and become the under-14 national champion of Spain.
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Les Petits As, also known as Little Champions, is a junior tennis tournament for players 12-14 years old in France. This is a prestigious tournament, and Rafael Nadal would win it at the age of 13.
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Rafael would become a pro at 15 and win his first match in the ATP circuit at the Mallorca Open.
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The Davis Cup is an international team tennis event that is one of the most prestigious competitions in men's tennis. At 18, Rafael would represent Spain in this tournament and win an important match that won them the tournament.
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At the age of 19, Rafael Nadal would win his first Grand Slam title as the French Open Champion, despite having a foot injury. This is an important award as the French Open is one of the most prestigious tournaments.
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Rafael would begin to date Mariá Francisco, his childhood friend, a few months before discovering the issue with his foot.
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Rafael would begin to feel immense pain in his left foot. This would force him to withdraw from many important tournaments, like the US Open. Doctors found the problem in a bone in his left foot, the tarsal scaphoid. This was difficult to treat and would take many months to find a solution to.
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Nike would help develop a new shoe for Rafael Nadal, that would make it easier for him to play tennis. This shoe would be successful, making it easier for him to play tennis. However, this shoe would cause other injuries, especially his knees.
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Rafael would continue his winning streak at the French Open, showing his dominance on clay courts.
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During a match against Ljubicic in Madrid, Rafael would reinjure his tarsal scaphoid, a bone, in his left foot. The pain was so bad that he wasn't even able to stand on it. This made him consider retiring and made him depressed.
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Rafael would win the French Open again, despite his injuries.
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Rafael Nadal would continue his dominance in the French Open.
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Rafael Nadal would achieve his lifetime goal, winning Wimbledon, a prestigious tournament. After facing many injuries, and a 4.75 hours match, Rafael would finally win against Federer, his rival.
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After an incredible year, beating Federer at Wimbledon, Rafael would finally become the highest-ranked tennis player after being ranked second, below Federer, for many years.
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Rafael Nadal would once again represent his home country, Spain, at a prestigious international competition. He would win his matches and bring home a gold medal.
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Despite being disadvantaged on hard courts, Rafael Nadal would manage to win the Australian Open.
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After losing the French Open, Rafael Nadal would reveal that he had knee problems for a while. Doctors would diagnose him with tendonitis, which would put him out of the tennis scene for a while. Later this year, Rafael's father would find a doctor that was able to fix his knees, allowing Rafael to rejoin the tennis scene.
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After finally winning the US Open, he would achieve a career grand slam. This meant he won all four Grand Slam tournaments at least once in his career. This is a very difficult achievement, with only 8 people completing this.
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Rafael Nadal would win at the French Open after recovering from an injury that made him lose the previous year.
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After many playing, and losing, multiple times at the US Open, Rafael Nadal would finally take the title.
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Rafael Nadal would continue his dominance on clay courts at the French Open.