A Revealing Look at Tennis Legend Rafael Nadal’s Personal Struggles and Professional Triumphs
“Victory belongs to the strongest.” Those are the words around the Roland-Garros Stadium in English and French, at the same time mocking and encouraging the athletes as they make their way to eternal glory in one of tennis’ greatest divisions. Tenacity defines the French Open and is what has propelled the tournament’s favorite son, Rafael Nadal, to a record fourteen tournaments there.
New Netflix documentaries Rafa – starts on May 29 – follows not only the rise of the Spanish sports star, but also the frustrating years leading up to his eventual retirement. Like many other celebrity documentaries, Rafa it talks about the subject, but it does so by examining his mistakes in an ironic way. Director Zach Heinzerling not only conducts insightful interviews with Nadal’s close-knit family of famous peers; You get access to the most intimate moments of the media-shy Nadal, relaxing with his family at home and decompressing in the locker room before a match. (I couldn’t believe I was watching Rafael Nadal’s team make fun of the times the big man had to pee before going out on the court!)
Rafa it basically follows two timelines. Heinzerling associates himself with Nadal and his inner circle in the last years of his career, giving fans rare access to the athlete’s habits, condition, and doctor’s appointments, but he also traces Nadal’s career in four major events, fighting his three biggest enemies: injury, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and, once again, injury.
Rafa Episode 1 takes us back to the beginning of Nadal’s career, when as a teenager he was named by his country to face American star Andy Roddick in the 2004 Davis Cup final. After defeating the superstar to win for his country, Nadal enjoyed his rise to the top of professional men’s tennis. In 2005, he won the French Open for the first time, but was sidelined by a foot injury. As Rafa revealed, this injury – Mueller–Weiss syndrome, a rare condition that the doctor explained Nadal gave himself up to simply playing like Nadal – nearly ended his career at the time.
Nadal was able to continue playing tennis by wearing special orthotics that years later contributed to further injuries. In one hilarious episode of Episode 3, Nadal is credited with taking so many anti-inflammatory drugs throughout the 2010s that he now has holes in his intestines.
“But if I hadn’t tested all that, maybe I would have had a few more Grand Slams,” Nadal said. “I’m not saying one or two, I’m saying ten or twelve. This is the truth.”
Rafa and examines the player’s mental health over the years. Tennis fans are already familiar with Nadal’s trademark signs on the court, however Rafa he reframes this strange behavior as a serious consequence of his increasing anxiety that he is struggling to overcome. Rafa and he talks well with “Uncle Toni” of all things. Toni Nadal has coached his nephew to incredible success, but his methods can be seen by outsiders (and insiders!) as outright abuse. Nadal himself praises his uncle as a coach and a loving family member, but Heinzerling paints a picture of a more complicated relationship. The love is definitely there — as the emotional payoff of episode 2’s “The Rainmaker” makes clear — but so is the tension.
For all that Rafa is a docuseries pretending to be god, no one comes out of this job looking better than Nadal’s wife, Mary. When young Nadal became an international sex symbol, posing in her underwear and appearing in Shakira’s music videos, she only had eyes for her younger sister’s friend. There are funny pictures showing a young romantic Rafa lamenting that Mery won’t text him. At that time, Mery simply describes her husband as someone who is always present in her life, almost shedding tears as she remembers going to her Holy Communion as a child. Heinzerling taps home video of the event, proving his point. As Nadal grapples with the fact that his career is ending, it is Mery who steps up as his main support, promising the start of a new life for him.
Rafa it’s not the first documentary following the final days of an athlete’s career, but it’s the only one that feels brave enough to show the depth of sacrifice for glory. Nadal may have made his own decisions about his life, but it’s clear that his family didn’t always agree. In the last episode, we actually see Nadal’s foot that is patient and looks, as someone joked, “alien.” Not to fall into the role of comparing Nadal to Roger Federer, though Rafa looking at a man more selfishly than last year Federer: The Last Twelve Daysglossy Prime Video film where the biggest source of controversy was the retirement announcement that leaked hours early online. RafaGrit’s like a man.
Over time RafaIn four hour episodes, you will not only get to relive the great legend in the moments on the court, but you will finally understand how much Nadal pushed his mind and punished his body to achieve everything he did. What does Rafa It is compelling, however, that it forces you to sit with both the discomfort and the fear of what that means. Tenacity is Nadal’s greatest strength, but also his curse.
Rafa will air on Netflix on Friday, May 29.
