Rafael Nadal says humility and willingness to accept criticism is one of the keys to success. Nadal, a record 22-time Grand Slam champion, is one of the greatest players in tennis history, but his success has never altered his humble ways.
Now Nadal advises the younger players to listen to their coaches and be ready to accept mistakes and criticism. “In team sport you have a coach who is the club,” Nadal told Eurosport Espana, quoted by Sportskeeda.
“When you hire a coach, the player gets paid too. But the coach is the boss. In our sport, I’m the one who pays the coach, the physical education teacher and the physiotherapist. Ultimately, you’re the boss.
If you don’t make everyone around you feel free to say things, good or bad, without jeopardizing your job, then don’t allow yourself to be helped.
If you don’t have the humility to listen to the things you don’t like, it’s difficult for you to stay on track.
Nadal hopes to be ready for the Montreal Masters
Nadal last played at Wimbledon where he reached the semifinals before giving Nick Kyrgios a walkover.
Despite being handicapped by an abdominal muscle injury in his quarterfinal match against Taylor Fritz, Nadal was able to finish the match in five sets. After the match, Nadal underwent an examination which revealed a tear in his abdomen.
Nadal, who has decided to call off his Wimbledon semi-final, reportedly wants to be ready for Montreal. “Nadal is keen to come to Montreal and his hotel rooms are already booked,” revealed Montreal tournament director Lapierre.
“He was sent a box of balls to use during the tournament in preparation. He should start training again on Monday.” The Montreal Masters begins on August 7th.
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