The Story of Rafael Nadal | Hypnotic Biography For Sleep
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Hi, I'm Jessica Porter and welcome back to Sleep Magic, a podcast where I help you find the magic of your own mind, helping you to sleep better and live better. Hi everyone, thank you so much for being here. We've been getting some great reviews. Ashley says the podcast has been a game changer for her sleep quality and recommends it to anyone looking for a calming, restful night.

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Tonight, the story of Rafael Nadal. Before we get started, let's hear a quick word from our sponsors who make this free content possible.

Hey, Sleep Magic listeners. If you've been following Jessica from her days as the co-host of Sleepwave, you may remember me. I'm Carissa, and I'm here to invite you to join me for the brand new series of Sleepwave, a podcast designed for anyone who struggles with sleep, whether it's taking forever to drift off or waking up in the middle of the night.

Every Monday, I share sleep meditations and relaxing bedtime stories that not only help you fall asleep quickly, but also guide you through those thoughts that keep you up at night. Whether it's stress, anxiety, or just a restless mind, we tackle it together so you can get the rest you deserve.

I know what it's like to struggle with sleep. I have a mind that loves to keep me awake. And that's exactly why I'm so passionate about the meditations and stories we explore on Sleepwave. They've made a difference in my life, and I'm confident they'll do the same for you. So, if you're ready for better, sweeter sleep, join me on Sleepwave. You can find me wherever you get your podcasts. Just search Sleepwave.

Hey there, Sleep Magic listeners. I want to share a unique bedtime podcast with you that can be a perfect partner to what we do here. It's called I Can't Sleep, hosted by Benjamin Boster. In this podcast, Benjamin reads Wikipedia articles in his incredibly calming voice, designed to gently lull you into a peaceful slumber.

He covers a whole range of subjects you just might enjoy, like comets, cicadas, and my personal favorite, Canada. These topics are just engaging enough to distract your mind from the stresses of the day, but boring enough to send you to sleep, making it a great option for when you want to mix up your bedtime listening.

So if you enjoy what we do here at Sleep Magic and are looking for another soothing option to help you unwind, I highly recommend checking out I Can't Sleep. Follow the I Can't Sleep podcast now and get ready to wind down and relax with Benjamin. Find I Can't Sleep wherever you listen to podcasts. So I've been thinking for a while about trying something new. So we're doing an experiment tonight.

I've had it in my mind to do episodes that are based on the life stories of public figures, and I was inspired this week by a special person, Rafael Nadal, because he announced that he's retiring after a very long and successful professional tennis career. For those of us who are Rafa fans, it's a sad time. We knew it would happen one day, but

It always feels too soon when a favorite leaves the spotlight. And Rafa is a compelling player. He has this intensity that's never really been matched by other players. Although Carlos Alcaraz, also a Spaniard, is pretty exciting. But Rafa's focus and supernatural talent turned him into a winning machine.

but it's coupled with this fiery, exciting Spanish soul. So tonight, I will be rambling on about one of my favorite athletes as you drift into deeper and deeper relaxation. I hope you like it. So get yourself into a safe and comfortable position, and let's begin. Allow your eyes to close easily and gently, and just bring your awareness to your breathing.

Just gently reeling in your awareness from your room, from your day, from your life, and letting it land gently on your breath. Sort of coming home to your breath. Coming home to your body. Great. Now I'd like you to bring your awareness up into your eyelids. And let's just imagine for a moment that your eyelids are feeling sleepy and heavy. Imagine...

Those little muscles in your eyelids releasing and relaxing, drooping. And as I get heavier and heavier, I'd like you to accept the suggestion that your eyelids are so relaxed that they will not open. And in a moment, I'm going to ask you to test your eyelids to make sure they won't open by wiggling your eyebrows. Now this is just a game. You're just faking. I know your eyelids could open if you wanted them to, but we're just going to pretend.

So with your eyelids remaining shut, wiggle your eyebrows. Good. Beautiful. Now we're really in the imagination. And now we imagine that this warm, relaxed feeling you have around your eyes, we imagine it moving back now into your head. Imagine it like a warm mist is taking over every single cell of your brain. Just imagine that mist

in your brain, softening, relaxing, slowing everything down as your head is feeling heavy, nice and heavy. Because the day is done and the muscles of your face are becoming soft, releasing any tension you may have carried in your face, any mask you were wearing for the world. As you imagine warm waves

of relaxation lapping up against the beach of your mind. Feel those warm waves of relaxation lapping up against the beach of your mind as all mental tension disappears, disappears. And now that warm mist of relaxation is moving down into your neck and the large muscles of your neck are softening, feeling your neck has worked.

all day. And now it's letting go. And the muscles in and around your throat are softening, relaxing, releasing. You may have held back in saying some things today. So now just imagine that energy releasing. Good. You may have used your throat by speaking a lot today. Maybe you're a teacher or someone who speaks.

to other people all day. And now that energy can relax. As the mist of relaxation moves down now into your shoulders and the muscles of your shoulders are feeling soft and relaxed like they're melting like butter. And that melty feeling is moving all the way down your arm, all the way down into your hand. The palms of your hands feeling warm and melty to open

as that feeling moves all the way down into your fingers, every finger sort of melting, relaxing, letting go. As you are listening to this recording, you may still be aware of sound going on around you, but from this moment on, any sound that you hear will actually take you deeper and even deeper into relaxation. So bring your awareness now to any sounds going on around you.

and let them take you deeper. Well done. You can use this trick in all sorts of places in your life. When you're surrounded by sounds, let them take you deeper into focus, deeper into relaxation, deeper into yourself. And from now on, the only sound you'll be paying any real attention to is the sound of my voice. But even the sound of my voice, as it takes you deeper and deeper,

will drift away as you let go and release into relaxation. Now let's imagine that mist which has been circulating up inside your brain and has moved down to your throat is now moving down into your chest. Imagining that a relaxation inside your chest, softening, releasing, opening you from deep inside.

As we imagine that mist of relaxation surrounding and supporting your heart, just let your heart be held. Just let your heart be held by this mist. We don't pay enough attention to our own hearts. And as this mist moves inside your heart, any tension that may have gathered inside your heart today has disappeared.

And the mist now is moving down into your torso, down deep into your belly. As that mist softens and relaxes your belly, any muscles you may hold unconsciously during the day in your abdomen are letting go. All the muscles of your back becoming soft and relaxed. They're off-duty now.

As the relaxation moves down into your pelvis and your pelvis is feeling very, very heavy, heavy on the bed. Whole torso feeling melty and relaxed. And now the relaxation moves down into your legs and your legs feel nice and melty through your knees and your calves and your ankles. And that warm melty feeling moves into your feet and toes.

And as your body is relaxing, your mind is relaxing. And as your mind is relaxing, your body is relaxing. Rafael Madal was born on June 3rd, 1986 in Manacor, a small town on the Spanish island of Mallorca. Human activity on the island dates back to 2000 BC.

And today, it produces wine, beautiful wooden furniture, and man-made pearls. And tennis champions. Rafael Nadal is a child of the sunny Mediterranean. With olive skin and thick chocolate brown hair, he has wide, pronounced cheekbones and brown eyes deeply set under thick eyebrows. He has an easy smile.

that can light up a room. Rafa was born into an athletic family. His uncle, Miguel Angel Nadal, was a professional soccer player who played for Barcelona and the Spanish national team. But it was another uncle, Tony Nadal, who would change the course of his life. Working as a tennis coach, Uncle Tony saw the special talent within his nephew.

And by the time he was three, little Rafa was wielding a tennis racket. And the kid was good. Hitting naturally with both right and left hands, Uncle Tony decided that developing Rafa as a left-hander would give him an advantage over right-handed players. So from a very early age, Rafa played as a lefty. Uncle Tony was a taskmaster.

and instilled discipline into Rafa. He often coached him on worn public courts using old tennis balls to show him that winning and losing was up to the player and not the equipment. At the same time, he insisted that Rafa never smash a racket when he lost his temper out of respect for the kids who could not afford one. Imagine him now as a little boy

hitting on a court in the warm Mediterranean breeze, on a tiny island off of Spain, hitting the ball again and again and again, laser-focused, naturally talented, moving effortlessly, soaking up the sun, his inner being expanding, growing in confidence, growing in desire. And now, imagine him lifting his first trophy.

at the tender age of eight, winning his first regional tournament. The game of tennis began in its original form in 12th century France. It involved hitting a ball with a bare hand and was called le jeu de paume, the game of the palm. Over time, the hand became gloved, and by the 16th century, the glove had become a racket.

Tennis soon made its way over to England, and King Henry VIII was such an enthusiastic player, he had a court built in his palace on the Thames. So much time was spent on the court that it is said that Anne Boleyn was watching a tennis match when she was arrested for treason. It wasn't until the late 1700s that tennis began being played on grassy lawns.

as it is still played most famously at Wimbledon. And as the years passed, the surface changed even more. In the 20th century, hard courts were introduced, and all sorts of newfangled technology has been developed for making them player-friendly. But perhaps the most interesting twist on tennis came in the 1880s in the south of France.

when the Renshaw brothers noticed that the summer sun was drying out their grass court. So, as any normal person would, they pulverized terracotta gardening pots and spread the clay dust over the grass in order to protect it. Magnifique! This dusty orange trend spread throughout France, and clay court technology itself developed.

No longer was it sprinkled on grass courts, but onto a layer cake of limestone, coal residue, and gravel. The first official clay tennis court was introduced in 1956 for the French Open at Roland Garros. It is the only Grand Slam tournament played on clay. Which brings us back to Rafa, who is known as the King of Clay.

His talons translate perfectly to this dusty orange surface, which allows him to slide to reach a shot and slows down balls so he can apply his fierce topspin with the most precision. Rafa plays so well on clay that he has hoisted the French Open trophy, a cup called the Coupe des Mousquetaires, a record 14 times.

Imagine Rafa in the cool Parisian breeze holding the silver cup above his head, his wide smile and sun-kissed skin dusted with clay. He has earned that trophy more than twice as many times as anyone else. And until very recently, Rafa was virtually unbeatable at the French Open.

with an overall record of 112 wins to just four losses at that tournament. But the truth is he's good on every surface. In addition to his clay court dominance, Nadal has won on grass at Wimbledon twice and on the hard court at the Australian Open twice and has won on the US Open's hard courts four times.

His ability to adapt his game to different courts showcases his versatility and all-round skill. With a total of 22 Grand Slam titles, he is second only in the men's division to Novak Djokovic with 24. When you watch Rafa play, you are drawn in by his intense focus. As you imagine his stance,

knees slightly bent, leaning forward, waiting for his opponent to serve. His focus is laser-like. He is fully in the moment and watching Rafa brings you into the moment. Every moment he has spoken about his habit of breaking each match down into individual points, never allowing himself to get distracted by the score.

or the magnitude of the situation. And it's true. Rafa never falters, is never lazy, he never gives up a point because he's frustrated, or lets a point go because his opponent is so ahead that it would save him energy. That's just not who he is. In fact, some would describe Nadal as obsessive. Before every serve, he goes through the exact same ritual.

He adjusts his shorts, the shoulders of his shirt. He wipes each side of his nose and touches both ears very quickly. But it is a familiar pattern recognized by every Rafa fan. In front of his chair, on the side of the court, he places two bottles in a very particular arrangement, diagonal to one another and their labels facing the court in a particular way.

And he places them with such precision and care. We see him do it every time he plays. And this is one of the joys of tennis. It is a sport played by an individual who shows himself or herself from all angles. We see them under pressure and at their peak powers. We see how they react when they get a great shot and when they lose.

We watch them cope and sometimes not cope. We see their weird little habits. They play in public, but what we witness is intensely personal. They are vulnerable and yet masterful. And that's why I have loved watching Rafa. It's not just about his raw, God-given talent. Through his tennis, he has demonstrated discipline, humility,

and sportsmanship. His body has done the impossible, while his inner being has expanded and expanded, reaching so many heights and so many hearts. He shows us what humans are capable of. But he was not alone on this journey. One of the defining aspects of Nadal's career has been his rivalries, particularly with Roger Federer.

Roger Federer, the Cary Grant of tennis. Federer's game had the sparkling precision of a Swiss timepiece. His elegance and fluidity were the perfect complement to Nadal's intensity and grind. He was the ice to Rafa's fire, and together they created a unique dynamic on the court. Imagine

Federer in a white Lacoste sweater, barely breaking a sweat, practically floating on the court, while Rafa speeds back and forth, sliding on the clay, sweating like a bull, grinding his opponent down with pure. The Nadal-Federer rivalry, often described as the greatest in tennis history,

provided fans with 40 unforgettable matches. And if you're wondering, Rafa won 24 of them. Today, off the court, Nadal and Federer are friendly. They're bonded by their rivalry, their talents, and their love of the game. At the tender age of 38, Rafa may have retired from tennis, but not from life. Throughout his career,

He remained deeply connected to his roots in Mallorca, where he enjoys a quiet existence out of the public eye. In 2019, he married his longtime girlfriend, Jiska, in a private ceremony back home. And a couple of years ago, he became a father to Rafael Nadel Jr. Who knows what fatherhood will bring as he passes on his wisdom

and his talents to his son. In 2008, he founded the Rafa Nadal Foundation, which helps disadvantaged kids. The foundation has established several programs in Spain and in India, providing opportunities for young people to develop values such as effort, responsibility, and self-improvement. He's also created an academy

in his hometown of Manicor. It has 26 tennis courts, several pools, a spa, and classrooms. There's nutritious food and time to play, and of course, the occasional Rafa sighting. Maybe for those of us who miss watching him on TV, we can drop by the academy. Rafael Nadal. He's left a big impression on all of his fans.

and even on the tennis spectators who rooted against him. And he continues to spread his energy through his foundation, his academy, and on Mallorca, the tiny island in the Mediterranean, where there may be another little boy or little girl hitting a ball in the sunshine again and again and again, as you allow yourself to go deeper and even deeper

As you drift and fly and dream.