Growing up, Rafael Nadal was a student of both soccer and tennis.
These days, Nadal operates the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy in his native Mallorca. Working with juniors has given Nadal insight into two valuable lessons tennis teaches: respect and self-control.
Watch: Federer & Nadal Reunite For Nadal's New Academy Opening
In a wide-ranging new interview with Lukas Eberle of Spiegel Online, the 14-time Grand Slam champion makes a case for why children should choose tennis.
"What matters is for them to exercise at all," Nadal told Spiegel Online. "What distinguishes tennis is respect for one's opponent, one's conduct on the court. There are many moments during a match when you are tense, wrestling with yourself. Tennis is a lesson in self-control."
Here are some intiguing Nadal comments from his interview with Spiegel Online.
On advice he gives juniors: "When I'm there, I make a point of telling them that anyone could become a star, but everyone must be a human being."
On goal-setting: "I don't worry about how I am going to win the French Open next year. I think more in the short term: about my training tomorrow, what I want to achieve there. It is important to recognize the small successes. It is the small steps which bring you satisfaction at the end of the day."
On feelings of "envy" of Roger Federer's grace: "Certainly I would like to have some of the qualities of other players and obviously from Roger. But believe me, there are plenty of other abilities that are important, particularly mindset and strength. These are attributes other players would like to have as well."
On beauty of tennis: "But (fans) don't like tennis to be a game of only serve, or only brute force, when all you see on the court is bam, bam, bam, bam. Tennis is beautiful when you can see tactics, when players don't just react but are able to act and think."
On what tennis should change: "The balls bounce up so high off the ground, which means you can hit them with a downward motion, which makes them fast. The balls ought to remain lower down. It is a question of the material."
Photo credit: Michael Cummo/BNP Paribas Open