For more than 20 seasons on the ATP tour, Rafael Nadal forged a legendary career with countless titles, records and historical performance. Now, outside the field, the 22-way will continue to collect large champion awards.
On Friday, Nadal Doctor Honoris Causa was made by the University of Salamanca and he became the first athlete to which the institution gave the honor.
Nadal attracted a blue mortarboard and took an oath for the senate of the university and received the medal that he takes in the official association of doctoral degrees of the University of Salamanca. The Spaniard gave a speech to the meeting room in a ceremony attended by his wife Mery Perello, his parents Sebastian and Ana Maria and his sister Maribel.
“It makes me so proud and grateful to receive the title of Honoris Causa from the oldest university in Spain and one of the oldest in the world; a place where, since the eighteenth century, humanism, critical thinking and intellectual freedom have enlightened all humanity,” he began.
“As you all know, I did not follow traditional academic education like most of you here; my education was different.
Nadal referred to his journey to becoming a professional tennis player. The Spaniard said: “My life was played on tournaments and on tennis courts, which traveled, compete and learn the five continents from the sport and the experiences that came with it. That is why this recognition is not only a privilege for me, it is also a demonstration of respect for sport and what it represents for society.”
The former number 1 in the PIF ATP rangers distinguish themselves not only because of its competitive character and the ability to enjoy so much success during his professional career, but also because of his exemplary behavior on and outside the field. Nadal spoke about sport as a school of life.
“Since I was a boy, sport has been my own college and in some respects, my own university. What I have learned on the courts has always been to me, both in tennis and there. Sport taught me the value of discipline. You get nothing without hard work, without dedication and without taking care of the smaller details,” he said.
“Sport also taught me not to feel that I am better than anyone, because in competitions and in tournaments, as in life, nobody wins every time.”
Nadal continued the theme of education and spoke about a lesson he learned when he was a boy: “In 2002, when I was another teenager, I was very enthusiastic about a certain goal; to play in the Junior Roland Garros Tournament for the first time I was one of the most emblem, I was a big chance of playing in the most embleate phases.
“My parents, however, told me that I could not play, because it was during the exam season. For me, at the age of 15, it was very difficult to understand. Despite my disappointment, my parents did not have to be moved and in the end I did not play in the tournament. I learned that the decision was a great lesson and now I thanked me for the compulsory education.”
Nadal’s visit to the city of Salamanca raised great expectations from the early hours of the morning, when hundreds of people began to gather near the university in the hope of a chance to get a glimpse of the Spanish legend.
The honor granted by the University of Salamanca follows others to be donated to the tennis icon, such as the Prince of Asturias Award for Sport in 2008, the Royal Order of Sports Merit, The Medal of Merit in Labor and the National Sports Award, which he has won several times.
Note of the editors: This story has been translated from atptour.com/es.
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