Nadal gains on Federerer
AT just 21, Rafael Nadal already has a bag of medals. Last Sunday, the young Spanish (西班牙的) star beat world No 1 Roger Federer on clay (红土). He won the French Open tennis championship in Paris.
Amazingly, it is his third victory in the competition in as many years. It was a display of energy, skill and "mental strength", as Federer said after the match. Federer may still beat Nadal on other surfaces like grass. But on clay Nadal is the undisputed (无可争议的) king.
Tennis is this young man's life. He's been playing since he was 4 years old. At age 10, his uncle, Toni Nadal, seeing his great potential (潜力), began to coach Rafael. The two have been together ever since.
Tennis is not his only sporting love. Nadal is a huge fan of F1 racing. He follows the career of his countryman Fernando Alonso closely. Outside of sport he's a movie fan. He names Titanic as his all-time favorite.
Nadal knows that Federer is still the best in the world but guesses he is gaining on the Swiss: "For sure he's better than me - right now".
Your turn: mental strength
Roger Federer said that Nadal had shown great "mental strength" in the match. Do you think mental strenth is more important than other qualities in sports men and women?