Rafael Nadal combines the quick feet of a soccer star, the endurance of a marathoner, the mind of a chess master and the ferocious forehand that recalls a boxer's left hook.
One of the fittest men in Open Era history says his core is the key to his success.
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Asked to asses his most important body part, Nadal said while keeping his cranky knees healthy is a priority, his strong core provides the structure for all he does.
"For me, the most important, of course, the knees are so important," Nadal said. "But if I have to choose one important part of the body, is abdominal and back. That gives you the possibility of stabilize the rest of the body. Have that part of the body strong and fit, you know, [it] makes the right balance on everything."
Though the young Nadal burst onto the scene wearing sleeveless shirts that exposed bulging biceps, the 11-time Roland Garros champion said he does not lift heavy weights, prefering to focus on strengthening his body for injury-prevention.
"Yeah, I never worked too hard with that weights, no? " Nadal said. "The body, for me the most important thing is to feel myself strong enough to hold the pains that I normally have. So that's why I work every day, just to try to have the right body to hold the problems that are coming."
Photo credit: Tommy Hilfiger