Meeting Rafael Nadal

Today I had the incredible experience of meeting and watching Rafa Nadal train in his hometown of Manacor, Mallorca.

I've been on holiday in Mallorca with my family but when I knew Rafa was going to be there too, I was determined to meet him. After the kind help of some Rafa fans I knew where and when he was training. I did my research and got directions to the courts and more information of how to meet him. I set off on Tuesday the 7th April with my fingers crossed that I'd meet Rafa Nadal.

I wasn't completely sure he was going to be there, but as soon as I saw Toni Nadal's Mercedes I knew I'd be in luck. I saw Maymo first- I said hello and he directed me to where Rafa was from the car park. I nervously walked up to the courts and I heard a grunt. I peered round the corner and there he was, a couple of metres away from me. Rafael Nadal. He was tall and tanned, much more gorgeous in real life. I burst into tears and had to compose myself in a corner, I couldn't believe I had finally seen Rafa.

For the next hour I watched Rafa play and took lots of photos. It was the best hour of my life. Seeing the man I love so much in person for the first time was incredible. At one point a ball rolled over to where I was standing, and a couple of feet away from me stood Rafael Nadal. I said 'Hi, Rafa' and he replied with a smile and a 'hello' in his rich Spanish accent. I burst into tears again at that point, shocked that I'd been spoken to.



I continued to watch the practice, fully immersed into every shot he made, ooohing and ahhing when a forehand hit deep into the far corner. At this point I realised I had left my letter in the car. I ran back to get it and when I was coming back into the court area, Maymo was there again. I asked him to give it to Rafa as I knew it'd be busy once he left the court. Hopefully my words of support and positivity will give him a boost.

After watching him practice some more serves, volleys and smashes, Rafa walked back over to his chair and put some layers on. It was the end of the session. At this point I ran around the viewing area to the entrance of the court and got ready to meet Rafa there. I walked in front of him as he signed hats and t shirts for the children. Then it was my chance. I shouted 'Rafa!' and got a perfect selfie. My mum was not far behind attempting to take a picture of us but my hair blew in the way- dammit. I waved Rafa off as he sped away in Maymo's car once he had fought his way through the crowd of fans.


I got back into my car and started crying yet again. At this point all my makeup was smeared off my face so I didn't care anymore and just sobbed at the realisation I had touched and met Rafa. Now you might think it's over dramatic, but when you support and admire someone for so long every single day, meeting them is something you don't think will ever happen. I look at pictures of him dreaming of meeting him and for it to actually come true is bizarre. It's mostly just shock to be honest. I thought It'd feel normal as I know him so well but actually it was quite the opposite. That first glimpse of him felt so strange and I couldn't really believe it. It was peculiar because you imagine scenarios of what it'll be like when you meet someone and it's nothing like that. I don't know how to explain the feeling. It's a wonderful mix of happiness, shock and lots of 'I can't believe that's Rafa Nadal' feelings.

I feel so incredibly lucky that I was able to see Rafa play up so close and get the opportunity to put my arm around him and take a picture. My dreams had finally become a reality. It's difficult to put into words how special and overwhelming the whole experience was. It was a dream.

I want to say a huge thank you to the lovely Rafa fans that have helped me find and meet Rafa today, giving tips from past experiences.


Most importantly I want to say thank you Rafa. Your kindness and patience let me have my dreams come true. I will never forget today. The 7th of April 2015 was the best day of my life so far.

For exclusive pictures of my experience see my Twitter- @_phenomenadal_