Rafael Nadal Has Mixed Feelings About His Iconic Pirate Pants

This week, the luxury book publisher Assouline releases Rafa Nadal, a stunning and weighty 330-page retrospective of the tennis legend’s extraordinary career. The book arrives on the heels of another Nadal spotlight: Netflix’s comprehensive docuseries Rafa, which received an Emmy nomination.Jon Wertheim, the award-winning journalist and author, wrote the text, and he makes an early declaration: “This is a story of a sports unicorn, a path-breaking, mold-breaking rarity.” From there, the tome unfolds as a lush mosaic, charting Nadal’s youth in Mallorca, his towering professional achievements (14 Roland-Garros titles chief among them), and the life he forged away from the court as time passed and trophies accumulated. To see so many decades of Rafa gathered in one place is remarkable, especially for those of us who grew up admiring him; some of the book's photos are world-famous, while others have never before been seen, but all of them have a real gravitas.My favorite shot is a black-and-white image from 2005. It features Nadal and Roger Federer sitting side by side—both long-haired, at ease in the sun—at what was then the NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne, now known as the Miami Open. On the opposite page, Federer’s pull-quote sums it up: “Never again will there be another Rafael Nadal.”Below, Nadal—who collaborated directly with Assouline and Wertheim on the project—speaks with GQ in a rare interview covering the book, his iconic early looks, his physical battles and what he calls “two Rafas.”GQ: What was it like seeing your life in the form of a book?Rafael Nadal: It was emotional, honestly. When you are playing, in some ways you are only focused on the next thing—on the next tournament, on trying to achieve the next title, trying to be ready for the next practice, or trying to solve the problems that your body has. And then, creating a book like this one became an opportunity to see everything with a little bit of perspective. You see a lot of things that, of course, in some part of your head stay there, but it’s impossible to remember all of them. Now you see how my life evolved, how I went through a lot of issues, how my body changed, how my outfits changed during all those years. So many things. You see a real evolution. So that’s the way that I felt when we were doing the book and when I see the final product: remembering a lot of emotional moments.When you were putting it together, was there a single image in your head that absolutely had to be here?It’s so difficult to choose one particular picture, because I think I was very lucky to enjoy a lot of unforgettable moments. I wanted to reflect the most important part of my life, which, without a doubt, is the family. I will say that the Roland-Garros pictures needed to be there, because I think that’s the place I built my career. Roland-Garros needed a special place in the book.Courtesy of AssoulineFrank CoppiIs there any particular photo or moment that captures you in a way that people haven’t described before? An image where you really see yourself—regardless of what the press or fans said at the time?I think I have been very real in front of the press when I was playing, when I was in touch with people. I tried, and I think I achieved, being myself during all my tennis career. Of course, when your profile rises over the years, you are a little bit more worried about saying things or acting in a particular way that can create an issue, you know?I’ve never tried to be somebody that I was not. But in some ways, there are two Rafas. One is the competitive mood: very intense, having everything more or less organized, all the rituals, you know? That’s the truth. But at the same time, I am very family-oriented and very relaxed. Intense on one side, and taking life easy on the other. I am a guy who always avoids conflicts, too, and that’s the truth. And in a way, that’s also what’s reflected in the book: always having more or less the same team from the beginning until the end, with the exception of my uncle, who, for the last few years, decided to do another thing. There’s trust shown in the pictures, and in a way, that balances the intense side of the work and the more at ease side with family.The book’s first chapter is titled “The Body at Work,” and there’s a lot of talk about your physicality—and injuries—along the way. Why did start there?I think because it’s one of the most important parts of my career. I don’t say that in a negative way, of course. Since the beginning, when I was very young, at the age of 19, I had the biggest problem of my tennis career, which was my foot. After retirement, when we were able to be very open about all this stuff, it needed to be reflected in the book because I had to deal with all these injuries from the beginning to the end.And, as usual, I retired because of an injury, you know? So in some ways, it’s one of the things I am most proud of: that even with all of these body issues that I faced, I was able to hold the passion, the motivation and the love for what I was doing for so many years. Facing a lot of problems with my body, but finding solutions to keep doing what I love—that needed to be the first part of the book.Courtesy of AssoulineFrank CoppiThere’s also a good chunk of space allocated to your on -ourt style. When looking back, have you ever had a moment of “What am I wearing?!” Or did you like everything along the way?[Laughs] No, it’s impossible to like everything. We had mistakes. And I’ll tell you one thing: We worked a year and a half in advance on all the outfits. That’s something that I enjoyed. But at the same time, at the beginning of my career, let’s say the first eight to 10 years, we made decisions from pictures on the computer, you know? And it was difficult sometimes, because what you see on the computer versus what then arrived in real life could be completely different. When I had a couple of, let’s say, mistakes in making decisions, when the clothing arrived and I was not happy, I said, “Okay, to make decisions, I need to see the material and the color in real life.” So I am prouder of the things we were wearing later in my career.But, you know what? The beginning of my career, with the pirate pants and the sleeveless shirts—you see it today, and for me, it’s horrible. That’s the truth. But in those years, in some way, I created my identity. I was recognized for wearing these wild things, with the long hair, the bandana, you know? It was something different. With Roger, everything was, you know, a bit more perfect and more classy. And then I arrived, hair everywhere, and let’s say… a little more wild, you know? Not so… orthodox. I enjoyed that part, even if, 20 years later, I look at it differently.On this flip side of that, was there a style moment you really loved—and still love?Well, you know what? I never usually liked to play in all black clothes. If you look, I always played with bright colors, energetic colors. I think this is because I always had a good connection with kids, and kids and young people normally like colors, you know? So I always played in bright colors on court. But I did love playing the night sessions in New York in a full black outfit. Those nights were very, very special. The atmosphere was just wild. So I liked that, if I had to choose one moment or set of moments.