Countless stories and books have been written about Rafael Nadal, who will go for his fourth US Open title on Sunday against Russian Daniil Medvedev. But there are still some things you might not know about the left-hander from Manacor. In honor of Nadal making his fifth US Open final, USOpen.org dug up five things you still don't know about the 18-time major champion.
1. He doesn't like cheese.
Nadal, who hails from the land of tapas, is not a fan of el queso. "I don't eat cheese. I never eat cheese in all my life. I don't like," he said at this year's US Open.
The off-season fisherman, who grew up on the Spanish island of Mallorca, doesn't mind meat but really enjoys fish.
"I eat meat when I want to eat meat. I have nothing against the meat," he said. "I prefer fish. That's all. No, but I don't have big problems with diet. I eat what I want to eat. And, of course, the diet is important for life and for stay healthy."
2. He keeps his string tension simple.
Some players change the tension of their racquet strings often, depending on the weather or overall conditions at the tournament. But not Nadal. He sticks with the same string tension, no matter if he's playing during the day or at night in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
"I never change my tension. I not that kind of player that makes changes on all this stuff," he said. "During the night, the ball flies a little bit less. Bounces are not that high. You need to adapt little bit, no? But I am used to play night sessions here. I like it. Not a big deal."
3. He doesn't lift a lot of weights.
The Spaniard is one of the fittest athletes in tennis. Despite his ripped appearance, though, the three-time US Open champion says he isn't a big weightlifter.
"My body is how it is. I really never worked much doing a lot of weights on the gym. I do more prevention, and, of course, I do other things that I have to do," he said, last year at the Open. "I never worked too hard with that weights, no? The most important thing is to feel myself strong enough to hold the pains that I normally have. So that's why I work every day, just to try to have the right body to hold the problems that are coming."
The 33-year-old has struggled with injuries and has limited his schedule as he's aged. Last year, Nadal finished only seven tournaments and had to retire from two major semifinals, including against Juan Martin del Potro at the US Open (right knee).
"The knees are so important. But if I have to choose one important part of the body, is abdominal and back. That gives you the possibility of stabilize the rest of the body. Have that part of the body strong and fit, you know, makes the right balance on everything," he said.
4. He makes millions but still occasionally flies economy.
Nadal has earned more than $111 million in prize money, and millions more through endorsement deals. But he's maintained his humble roots. Nadal was seen flying economy as recently as last year.
To be sure, he splurges, just like the rest of us, although his purchases probably have more zeroes than ours. The Spaniard is reportedly selling his 76-foot yacht for $3 million, and in July, Nadal reportedly bought an 80-foot luxury yacht. His Richard Mille watch has retailed for $775,000.
5. Autographs? No gracias.
Nadal has signed hundreds of thousands of hats, balls and T-shirts throughout his 19-year career. How many autographs does Rafa have? Ninguno.
When he was a kid, he had plenty of chances to snag signatures from great footballers, as his uncle played for Barcelona FC, Real Mallorca and the Spanish national team. But, even as a wide-eyed child, that wasn't Nadal's scene.
"Autograph, no. Some photos, yes. I think photo is more than an autograph. I prefer that," he said in 2009.
Nadal, however, respects fans who prefer to have his John Hancock rather than a selfie and has long made time to sign T-shirts, hats and even biceps. "If I lose and if I win, I always stop for long time for sign autographs," he said at the 2006 US Open.
