Tournament News
Nadal 'cried like a baby'
2010-07-13 19:43
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Johannesburg - Rafael Nadal, the world's number one tennis player, made no bones over the fact that he had "cried like a baby" after the emotional, momentous success.
But it was not his second Wimbledon and eighth grand slam title a week earlier that had the normally composed Nadal shedding tears of unrestrained joy.
Instead, it was as a spectator at Soccer City watching Spain annex their first World Cup soccer title with a taut, drama-filled 1-0 extra-time victory over The Netherlands on Sunday that had the engaging tennis star in seventh heaven.
Nadal had made a last-minute decision to interrupt a course of treatment for his troublesome knees in order to fly out on a lightning, in-and-out trip to South Africa for the World Cup Fina, where he shared his country's long-sought triumph with many of his friends in the Spanish squad.
"And we could not have had a more inspirational supporter," said Spanish team manager Vicente de Bosque as Nadal took his trademark, mock bite out of the World Cup trophy.
A fervent supporter of Real Madrid, Nadal's renowned uncle, Miguel Angel Nadal, who was known as "The Beast" for his undaunting, fearless tackling", played for FC Barcelona and Mallorca and was a regular in the Spanish international line-up.
And Rafa, as the tennis icon is known, is also coached by "The Beast's" brother, Toni Nadal.
A winner of both the recent French Open and Wimbledon titles, Nadal is now nursing his knees in order to attain peak fitness for the forthcoming United States Open - the only grand slam title he has not captured.