Thank you so much to Veyonce for translating another article from the Chinese press.  This one is from sina.com based on an interview with Toni Nadal.  Unless Toni Nadal has undergone a personality transplant since all of this other public interviews some of it sounds "exaggerated" shall we say. 

Somehow I have difficulty believing that Rafael's uncle decided to declare out of the blue in China that Rafael has a girlfriend and is terrible at soccer (football if you prefer), but it does make for entertaining reading. 

Uncle Toni Tells Nadal's Story: He's a Good Kid

Uncle Toni looked left and right, pointed at the 2 sofas at the non-public area before rushing over: "Let's go over there." Following blindly behind him was Nadal whom had just finished signing autographs for female fans, the hotel's security personnel immediately rushed up to stop him; to inform him that the lift is at the other end.   Uncle Toni turned back and looked lovingly at his nephew: "This boy is like that, where Toni goes, he will follow."


It's A Pity, He's Attached

You need to pay more attention to hear Uncle Toni talking about Nadal. This old chap's English is as bad as his nephew's. The Spaniards have this habit or maybe it's like that all along, like to end their sentences with a "No?". He was presently surprised after meeting a group of fans in the lobby; it was only until he came to Shanghai that he finally believes that his nephew has already became an idol.

"It's a pity, he's attached." He made a face and smiled wickedly at the thought of young female fans' reactions, "He always said he's single, to the media, also kept me in the dark. However, there's nothing I wouldn't know about this kid, he always thought this is a well-kept secret, actually his girlfriend's waiting for him back in Mallorca." Uncle Toni calls Nadal by his full name; "Rafael", "Rafael's a honest boy since young, his friends around him are always those few familiar faces. He's not the type who will treat himself as a celebrity after being famous; he still behaves the same as he was before he won the French Open. He has never changed, even his handphone's number is still the same. Of course, he's still dating the same girl. His girlfriend's a fellow Mallorcan, I guessed they met long ago." He laughed heartily and made a face, "I can't control him in this, anyway, at least he didn't bring home a city girl. But I guess a lot of girls will be terribly upset after knowing
the truth."

He's Not A Spendthrift

Nadal has earned quite a lot after turning famous, he has already launched his own perfume, there's even rumors from Spain that this teenage celebrity's planning to buy a small island. Uncle Toni snorted contemptuously at the latter: "My nephew is not a spendthrift, only spendthrifts will do this type of silly things."

Then where did Nadal spent his money on? This fatherly uncle winked: "You know, Rafael's father is wealthy all along, he's living with his parents in a big house which is free from mortgage. Besides, he has been well brought up since young; they have educated him to spend his money wisely. So, Rafael has never splurged on expensive branded things, he's a good kid."

Sometimes, he would invite a few friends to have a few drinks at pubs. Disco? "No, Rafael dislikes noisy places." He's a movie buff, even his poor English won't hinder his love for Hollywood movies. He also watches Spanish movies, "He has watched a few of Pedro Almodovar's movies and claimed he likes it very much. However, I'm a bit worried because his movies are pretty dark. Youngsters should be happy and lively."

Clears His Mind by Fishing

Mallorca's a quiet and peaceful small island, life there is very different from Madrid. Nadal whom was born and bred in Mallorca, has inherited the locals' philosophy of having a peaceful and normal life. "Everyone knows him but nobody treats him like a celebrity.  Unlike in Madrid, where Rafael can't even go out on the streets, once they see him, everybody will start cheering and shouting his name." Toni said, "But it's different in Mallorca, he's just a normal boy. He knows everyone on the island, too familiar. When he's not training, he will go fishing or golfing alone."

Nadal is actually a shy and introvert person. He likes to row himself to the river near his home and fish. "Over there, there's a breed of very tiny fishes. Rafael always catches that particular breed and brings home a pail full of it." His nephew doesn't have the habit of sharing his troubles, Toni said, sometimes he would go fishing to clear his mind. 

"Think about it, a year of traveling is nothing to an old man like me, but to Nadal, it's a bit cruel, he's still young. Sometimes I can feel that he's moody, even though he doesn't complain openly. Today in New York, tomorrow in Paris, it's a short stay everywhere, with no friends by your side, it's very tough on him. But he loves tennis and this is what he has to go through."

For most of the year, Nadal and Uncle Toni have only each other to rely on. He's the only shoulder this teenager can lean on. Even though Nadal always lets his uncle do all the decision-making, there are times when he has his stubborn streak. "Once he set his mind on anything, he will never turn back. Sometimes we would get into arguments but what can I do to this kid? I can't beat him up, no, no, I'm not that type of person."


"Uncle, This Is From Raul"

Nadal's actually a fanatic too. His favourite footballers are Zidane and Raul from Real Madrid. "You know, when Raul gave him a football jersey last time, he was emotional for a long time after returning home. He said enthusiastically, "Uncle, uncle, can you believe it? This is from Raul."" Before leaving for Shanghai, Raul personally came to send Nadal off again. After hearing that Raul will be sending him off, Nadal couldn't sleep for the whole night.

Raul to Nadal is like an older brother he looks up to, even though he is now Spain's national hero, there wasn't any change in his idolization to Raul. He also has a best friend in Real Madrid and Spain's national team; that person is Iker Casillas. Nadal and Casillas, who's also around Nadal's age, get along very well. "They are best friends, they will talk non-stop every time they get together."

Although Nadal's a football fanatic, however his skills at football games are terrible. Toni said he would always get thrashed by a deficit of 5 goals and above. "Moya thrashed him by 6-0 last time and when he finally scored a goal, he was so happy that it's as if he has won the World Cup. The worst thrashing he ever got was like 0-9." Even though Nadal's making improvements in his tennis skills, there wasn't any improvements in his football skills.

Comments

Of course he's a good kid. :)

Vamos Rafa!

I want to add, that it must be kinda embarrassing for Nadal, when his uncle is talking about him, saying he's a kid!

Well, at least we get some extra informations about him ;)

what an adorable article! i remember reading that it was a choice between football and tennis for nadal, so i'm pretty surprised he's bad at football. thanks for another great translation, veyonce : )

hey, the bad-at-footy reference is to video game football--there was a segment on mariano zapatela's crazy behind-the-scenes-in-the-tennis-world show where moya is trouncing rafa and then rafa celebrates (shirtless, no less) when he finally wins a goal. Not sure if that was a translation issue or a reportage one.

Think it was a mistake made by the translator because on vamotraphael.com the playstation-game is mentioned.

hi my name is hana.well.rafa's uncle said the right thing,the female fans would feel terrible after they knew that rafa has a girlfriend.it is true and a fact.i felt the same way,it was so terrible,that i felt i was losing my life.i still do.we all really love rafa and hope that every moment he always is the best,but our old rafa.i wish he is reading our comments,even his uncle.God,i am always unlucky.till today,i have not got what i wanted,i think this is always going to trouble me.i just hope rafa always will be happy.i love him.

rafa does not have a girlfriend...who is saying something like that?

Aloha! from the mainland! I too love to watch Rafa perform to the best of his ability on any tennis surface! I am presently watching him play his first match on grass at the Wimbledon! He is a remarkable young man and I absolutely admire his respect for himself and his family, especially due to him being a young hero to many youngsters who watch him, internationally! VAMOS RAFA!

Oh yes, it was just confirmed by the commentators at the Wimbledon that Rafael has brought his girlfriend, Xisca along to the tournament.

This doesn't sounds like his uncle. From what i've observed and read from the interviews, the family of rafa is very protective of him. In my own opinion, i don't think that his uncle would give interviews like this because he respects hi nephews privacy. Anyway, it's wasn't a suprised if Rafa has a gf. But until he confirmed it, that's the time i would really believe.

I think Rafael is just awesome !!!!

Do u think nadal can beat federer this round for the 2006 wimbledon??? i believe he might, but my relatives dun think so!!!

VAMOS RAFA!!!! rafa ur awesome i watched ur match 2day in wimbledon, 2 me u r the winner! rafa has a GF??!!??!!??!! omg *cry*

It wouldn't surprise me if Rafael had a gf....but i won't believe it until he confirms it...i love him...hes so hot!

rachel, nadal's got a girlfriend; here she is:

http://www.protennisfan.com/2006/07/nadals_girlfrie.html