By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, September 18, 2026
Photo credit: Assouline
Fearless fighter Rafael Nadal faced prickly pain with persistent positivity and practicality.
“Losing is not my enemy,” Nadal famously said. “Fear of losing is my enemy.”
Now, the King of Clay is back in full glory next month.
Rafa Nadal, a comprehensive visual biography published by Assouline, arrives in October.
Authored by Tennis Channel and 60 Minutes correspondent Jon Wertheim, the book was created with the full participation of Rafa Nadal and features interviews with his wife, Mery Perelló; his father, Sebastián Nadal; his longtime coaches Uncle Toni Nadal and Carlos Moyà; King Felipse VI of Spain and archrival Roger Federer, who remarks: “Never again will there be another Rafael Nadal.”
Photo credit: Assouline/Splash
The biography aims to present a clear picture of the man behind the monarch.
A natural right-hander, who plays tennis lefty, Nadal is one of the most magnetic—and misunderstood—champions. Though he’s inspired devoted legions of juniors, “Rafa Nation”, to sport to sport sleeveless T-shirts and swoosh headbands and erupt in spirited grunts on courts across the globe, Nadal is also often incorrectly typecast as a defensive grinder, say those who have closely followed his career.
“The biggest misconception in the history of the world is about Rafa. He has never been a defensive player for one second,” former world No. 4 Brad Gilbert, who coached Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Andy Murray, told Tennis Now in a past interview. “He’s an offensive machine, who’s willing to play defense. But the basis of his game is relentless offense.
“Even if he’s eight feet behind the baseline, he’s relentless on offense that’s willing to play defense.”
The new biography traces Nadal’s rise from a tennis and soccer-loving child growing up near the sea in his beloved Manacor, Mallorca to a prodigy who turned pro at age 15, won the 2010 US Open to complete the career Grand Slam at age 24 and went on to capture a record 14 Roland Garros championships among his 92 career titles.
Photo credit: Assouline/Courtesy of Rafa Nadal Archive
The book is Nadal’s first chance to examine his life and legacy since his retirement from professional tennis. In addition to Wertheim’s interviews, the biography features three decades of Rafa images, including several from the Nadal family private collection that have not been published previously.
Throughout the book, author Wertheim attempts to avoid mythologizing the iconic champion, instead revealing a man he calls “the warrior next door.” Despite his global superstar status, Nadal remains a remarkably humble and down-to-earth champion, who values his closest relationships, still sweeps the clay-court after playing, drove a KIA for years out of loyalty for his long-time sponsor and flew coach for years, sometimes sitting right next to unsuspecting tennis fans on flights around the world.
Photo credit: Assouline/Corrine Dubreuil
Nadal himself sums up the legacy he hopes to leave in three words: A good person.
“The titles, the numbers, are there, so people probably know that,” Nadal said in the book. “But the way that I would like to be remembered more is like a good person from a small village in Mallorca…just a kid that followed his dreams.”
Those words reveal Nadal’s heart and competitive character.
Photo credit: Assouline/Frank Coppi/Popperfoto/Getty
Rafa Nadal, published by Assouline, will be available in two editions; each built around a defining image from Rafa’s reign at Roland Garros.
The Classics version opens with Clive Mason’s portrait of the young champion at his 2005 French Open debut, the match that launched his run to fourteen titles. The Classics edition is 336 pages, features 353 images and will retail for $120.
The Ultimate version, housed in a clamshell recreating the clay of Court Philippe-Chatrier, opens on Corinne Dubreuil’s 2012 photograph of his blistered hands cradling his seventh trophy, a single image that reflects his raw physical sacrifice.
Rafa Nadal, the Ultimate version, is also 336 pages, features 353 images with a textured cloth fabric clamshell cover and will retail for $1,2000.
Limited copies of the Ultimate Edition will be signed by Rafa Nadal and those autographed copies will sell for $3,000.
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