The tough-as-nails Spaniard Rafa Nadal strikes fear in opponents because of his stamina, will and, of course, wicked skills on the tennis court. But Nadal’s first love was soccer — or futbol, as it is called in Europe and elsewhere. Indeed Nadal’s great coach and professional mentor was for decades his Uncle Toni whose brother, Miguel Ángel Nadal, was a futbol star at the legendary European club FC Barcelona. (He played for Spain in three World Cups.) Rafa’s Uncle Miguel was a huge influence, representing the living dream of being able to turn professional in sports. And Rafa shows his genes in the video below.
Nadal showed off another side of his gifted footwork and his ferocious concentration — and the influence of Uncle Miguel Angel Nadal — by juggling a tennis ball on his feet during the BNP Paribas Open, one of tennis largest tournaments. Nadal flips up the tennis ball in a style that soccer players use to make a rainbow move — pure Messi-like — and then juggles a few times perfectly switching feet in stride like a pro. The ATP nails it saying “silky smooth.”
Silky smooth, @RafaelNadal 😎👌#BNPPO19 pic.twitter.com/wbLCNiHa60
— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) March 10, 2019
_(24151146900).jpg){kind=link}