LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR

A SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR

From the bestselling author of The Master, longlisted for the 2025 William Hill Sports Book of the Year.

An intimate, original biography of tennis legend Rafael Nadal, and the first to cover his entire career.

After his award-winning look at Roger Federer, Christopher Clarey, one of the world's pre-eminent tennis writers, focuses his lens on Nadal, the Spanish force of nature. When he arrived on the scene in 2005, the record for men's singles titles at the French Open stood at six. Nadal more than doubled that total to a mind-blowing fourteen titles: one of the greatest sporting achievements in history.

Nadal won big and won often on all of tennis's surfaces: securing two Wimbledon titles on grass and six on the US Open and Australian Open hard courts. But clay, the grittiest of the game's playgrounds, is where it all came together best for his whipping forehand and warrior mindset.

Clarey, who has covered Nadal since he was seventeen, draws on interviews over twenty years with Nadal, his team and rivals like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Brimming with behind-the-scenes insight, The Warrior tells the story of a global sporting icon, interlacing man and place in a unique, must-read account of the evolution of excellence.

Shrewd and informative -- The Times
An affectionate and insightful biography . . . Clarey supplements this two-decade highlight reel with rich digressions into tennis history -- Financial Times
The definitive volume on the definitive clay court player of all time -- Vogue
[Clarey] wrote what is widely regarded as the definitive book on Roger Federer: "The Master: The Long Run and Beautiful Game of Roger Federer." Now he has produced a similarly authoritative book on Federer's longtime rival and friend, Rafael Nadal -- New York Times
If you have ever held a racket or seen a champion play, you will find this splendid book a rich source of pleasure and inspiration -- Daily Mail
Comprehensive . . . Rafa's humility and sportsmanship shine in this glowing portrait that also abounds with wider tennis trivia -- Daily Mail
The definitive portrait of the Spanish champion -- Sunday Times, Books of the Year
A scintillating account of the elastic Spaniard's epic run to the pinnacle of men's professional tennis -- Wall Street Journal Book Review
Masterful . . . this splendid book is a rich source of pleasure and inspiration -- Mail on Sunday

Christopher Clarey was the long-time tennis correspondent for the New York Times and covered international sports for more than thirty years for the New York Times and International Herald Tribune, where he was chief sports correspondent and columnist. He is the author of The Master: The Brilliant Career of Roger Federer which was a New York Times bestseller.