In a recent Simon Briggs article entitled “Rafael Nadal says he has no intention of following the ‘supercoach’ trend” we read that the World No. 1 is enjoying seeing the likes of Boris Becker back on the tour (but has no desire to hire a legend himself). Humble Rafa also speaks about meeting other celebrities like Cristiano Ronaldo for the first time, and what they talked about.

 Asked if he has ever been struck dumb on meeting a celebrity, Nadal replies: “Yes, when I was nine or 10.

“My uncle Miguel Ángel played football for Barcelona and for the national team for many years.

“So I met Romario, Ronaldo – not Cristiano but the Ronaldo from Brazil. And when you meet these guys then, sure, I am a shy guy then.

“It was different when I did meet Cristiano Ronaldo a few years ago for the first time. He is my age or one year older than me [18 months in fact], so it’s not like when you are 10 and you meet somebody who is 25 and you see on the television all the time. We met a few times and we talk about normal things, football, tennis. We made a commercial together for Nike a few years ago.

“Of course, when I meet people who I admire you have respect for everybody first of all. But at the end, I try, even if I meet somebody famous, to speak normal.”

Read the rest of the article published in the Telegraph, which discusses Rafa’s outlook on life, including the advice that his father Sebastian gave him and that he truly believes in, here.