The Warrior: Rafael Nadal and His Kingdom of Clay

Journalist Clarey (The Master) focuses this entertaining portrait of tennis champion Rafael Nadal on his dominance of the French Open. Clarey credits Nadal’s uncle and long-time coach, Toni Nadal, with introducing him to the sport when he was three and encouraging him at age 10 to adopt the left-handed forehand that became “the foundation of his dominance.” Four years after winning his first ATP tour match at age 15, Rafael made his French Open debut, beating Mariano Puerta in the final. Nadal prevailed at the event 13 times after that, losing only four of the 116 matches he played there before retiring in 2024. Clarey traces this achievement through insightful breakdowns of Nadal’s triumphs, describing, for instance, how he defeated “archrival” Roger Federer in the 2008 French Open by “controlling the baseline rallies and forcing Federer to run laterally far more than usual.” Though the narrative focuses on Nadal, Roland-Garros’s clay courts become a character in their own right as Clarey provides rich background on the event’s history. For instance, he discusses how the Open’s first winner in 1891 was likely a Brit whose name has been lost to history and how Chris Evert nabbed a record seven women’s singles titles at Roland-Garros in the 1970s. It’s a meticulous recap of one of tennis’s great achievements. Agent: Susan Canavan, Waxman Literary. (May)