The teenage 'King of Clay' Nadal preferred playing on grass!

In an archive interview, a 16-year-old Rafa Nadal was asked which playing surface he was most comfortable on. His answer comes as a huge surprise to us now that the Spaniard is universally known as the King of Clay: “To be honest, I prefer to play on hard court or grass to playing on clay, although I do also like playing on clay”.

Interviewer: Is there a player who you model yourself on or how you see as your idol?

Nadal: “Yes, I think Carlos Moyà is a great player and I’d like to be like him.”

Interviewer: And which tournament would you like to win?

Nadal: “Wimbledon. Although that would be very difficult and you need to work very hard”.