Rafael Nadal on His Revelatory Netflix Documentary, ‘Rafa’

When the legendary Rafael Nadal retires at the age of 38 at the end of 2024, he will seemingly take with him not just 22 Grand Slam titles (a record 14 of them at Roland Garros) but an entire secret world. Unlike many other athletes who have long competed at the highest levels of their sport, Nadal seems reluctant to unburden his soul. Definitely polite, one of the greatest athletes to play any sport, certainly respected by his opponents, but as a man of few words, he will always remain an unknown.

Director Zach Heinzlin’s new four-part documentary, RafaThe film, which premiered on Netflix on May 29, changed all that in a big way. Yes, we see Nadal growing up in Mallorca, where he was a tennis prodigy from an early age, mentored and molded (for pretty much his entire career, it turns out) by his uncle Toni, who taught him to push, push, push, push. But crucially, we also see the toll this push takes on Nadal, both physically and mentally.

Of course, as anyone like me, who has followed Rafa his whole life, knows that Nadal is often sidelined by injuries (he has missed 18 Grand Slams during his career). But even I was shocked when I saw it Rafahow early these injuries began, how severe and life-or-death they were, and how early and often Nadal was forced to make painful choices about his health and career.