Practice passion energizes Rafael Nadal.
The 11-time Roland Garros champion said working to sharpen his skills on the practice court makes him feel alive.
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In the aftermath of his straight-sets win over German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann, Nadal said a secret to his sustained success is putting maximum effort into practice—and the joy he derives from game improvements.
"So I think the positive thing during all my career if I was able to practice two hours, three hours, one hour 30, normally I did with highest intensity possible, no? And that's all," Nadal told the media in Paris. "What I did during all my career probably is go on court with goal to improve something, and that make me feel alive always and make me feel passionate about the process of improving anything."
Nadal said his legendary work ethic was established in childhood.
"I have been a hard worker when I was a kid," Nadal said. "Very hard worker. Especially because I was able to play with very, very high intensity for a long time."
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve