2. Rafael Nadal was born June 3, 1986. His birth place is Manacor, Mallorca, Spain. He was born to Sebastián Nadal and Ana María Parera (now divorced). Link: Wikipedia.com

4. Recognizing that Rafael had a natural talent for tennis, his uncle, Toni Nadal, a former professional tennis player, introduced him to tennis when he was three years old. Toni Nadal has been coaching him ever since. Link: Biography.com 1989

6. At age eight, Nadal won an under-12 year regional tennis championship. This was at a time where he was also a promising football player. Link: Biography.com/RafealNadal 1994

8. When he was 14, the Spanish tennis federation requested that he leave Mallorca and move to Barcelona to continue his tennis progression and training. Nadal's family turned down this request, partly because they feared it would hurt his education, but also because Toni Nadal said that “I don't want to believe that you have to go to America, or other places to be a good athlete. You can do it from your home.” Link: Wikipedia.com/RafaelNadal 2000

10. The decision to stay home meant that Nadal received less financial support from the federation. instead Nadal's father covered the costs. Link: Wikipedia.com 2000

12. In April 2002, at 15 years and 10 months, the World No. 762 Nadal won his first ATP match, defeating Ramón Delgado, and became the ninth player in the open era to do so before the age of 16. The following year, Nadal won two Challenger titles and finished the year in the top 50. At his Wimbledon debut in 2003, Nadal became the youngest man to reach the third round since Boris Becker in 1984. Link: Wikipedia.com

14. During 2004, Nadal played his first match against World No. 1 Roger Federer at the 2004 Miami Masters, and won in straight sets. He missed most of the clay court season, including the French Open, because of a stress fracture in his left ankle. Nadal at 18 years and six months became the youngest player to register a singles victory in a Davis Cup final for a winning nation. By beating World No. 2 Andy Roddick, he helped Spain clinch the 2004 title over the United States in a 3–2 win. He finished the year ranked World No. 51. Link: Wikipedia.com

16. He ceded the No. 1 ranking to Federer on July 6, 2009. Nadal is the first left-handed man to finish the year with the No. 1 ranking since John McEnroe in 1984, and the first Spaniard ever to achieve that feat. A native of the island of Mallorca, he is coached by his uncle, Toni Nadal. (as of October 15, 2009) Link: Tennis.com

17. The end!