The Warrior

From the bestselling author of The Master, longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year.

An intimate biography of tennis's living legend Rafael Nadal, and the first to cover his entire career.

One of the most relentless competitors in any sport, Rafael Nadal is an indomitable force of nature. When Nadal arrived on the scene in 2005, the record for men's singles titles at the French Open stood at six. Almost twenty years later, Nadal has more than doubled the total with a mind-blowing fourteen titles.

Nadal has won big and won often on any of tennis's surfaces: securing two Wimbledon titles on grass and four U.S. Opens on acrylic hardcourts. But clay, the grittiest of the game's playgrounds, is where it all comes together best for his warrior mindset. Clay is the canvas on which he has mastered his choreography, underlining the precision, speed, and raw power required to accomplish one of the most impressive sporting achievements of the century - it is the essential stuff of his success.

Top international sportswriter Christopher Clarey has interviewed Nadal since his first French Open victory at nineteen, marking his debut as a rising star, right up to his retirement in 2024, closing out an astonishing career as one of the greatest players of all time. Brimming with behind-the-scenes insight from Nadal, his team and his rivals, The Warrior tells the story of a global sporting icon - a must-read account for anyone interested in the evolution of excellence.