Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after winning his men's semi-final match against Andy Murray of Britain at the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (Reuters File Photo)
Acapulco (Mexico), February 26 (IANS): Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal, currently World No. 2 in the men's rankings, has said that a key to his success has been to find time to invest in his happiness. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, the Spaniard, who was set to take part in the Mexican Open tournament which he has previously won in both 2005 and 2013, said that although tennis has been an important aspect of his life he did not spend all his time thinking about it and that he often plays other sports and activities to make him happy, reports Efe news.
"One of my successes is that as well as being a good professional I have found the time to be happy and this is something I would like to transmit to young people because if you do things well, there is time to do other things," Nadal said.
The tennis player added that this philosophy was something he was keen to convey to the young people who go to his Academy in his native Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands west of mainland Spain.
The second-seed said he was keen to dedicate more time to the Rafa Nadal Academy once he had retired but that, for now, he did as much as he could for the school by scouting the best trainers in a bid to create a team of budding Spanish tennis players.
"We are pleased with Jaume Munar, who is already ranked 61st in the world," Nadal said of the 21-year-old, adding that he too was from Mallorca, near Manacor, the tennis champion's hometown.
Monday marked the first day of training for Nadal after a short break due to a wrist injury and although he admitted he was not at his best he said he was ready to compete in Acapulco, where he is set to take on Mischa Zverev of Germany.
"I have not been able to train much these days but I am happy to be back in Acapulco," Nadal continued.
Nadal acknowledged that modern tennis has increased in speed, something that as a spectator he doesn't like much, adding, however, that his opinion on the matter was of little importance.|
