The glory is being happy. The glory is not winning here or winning there. The glory is enjoying practicing, enjoy every day, enjoying to work hard, trying to be a better player than before.
Rafael NadalRead
As a tennis player you can win and you can lose, and you have to be ready for both. I practised self-control as a kid. But as you get older they both - winning and losing - get easier.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Success and failure are both part of sports, and self-control helps to navigate them.
Rafael Nadal emphasizes the importance of being prepared for both victories and defeats in sports, highlighting how self-control learned in childhood can aid in handling these outcomes. As one matures, the emotional response to winning and losing often becomes easier to manage, underscoring the value of mental resilience in competitive environments.
Themes
TennisWinningLosingSelf-ControlCompetition
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech to young athletes about the importance of resilience.
More from Rafael Nadal
All quotes →I play because I have fun, if I don't have fun on the court, there is something wrong. I am just a 19 year old boy that likes to do what he likes, nothing else.
Rafael NadalRead
My motivation and aspiration is the same, being number one or being number five. So that's the truth. And my goal is the same - it's to always be happy playing, it's to enjoy the game and improve always.
Rafael NadalRead
I'm not the best player in the history of tennis. I think I'm amongst the best. That's true. That's enough for me.
Rafael NadalRead
Hard courts are very negative for the body. I know the sport is a business and creating these courts is easier than clay or grass, but I am 100 per cent sure it is wrong.
Rafael NadalRead
If you are playing bad you are going to lose here, on clay, on ice, or on the beach.
Rafael NadalRead
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