The co-op bookstore for avid readers
Book Cover for: The Warrior: Rafael Nadal and His Kingdom of Clay, Christopher Clarey

The Warrior: Rafael Nadal and His Kingdom of Clay

Christopher Clarey

Reader Score

89%

89% of readers

recommend this book

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Master comes an intimate biography of tennis's enduring champion Rafael Nadal.

In The Warrior, Christopher Clarey illuminates the skill and determination it took to accomplish Rafael Nadal's most mind-blowing achievement: 14 French Open titles. Nadal has won big on tennis's many surfaces en route to becoming one of the greatest players of all time: securing two Wimbledon titles on grass and four U.S. Open titles on cushioned acrylic hardcourts. But clay, the slowest and grittiest of the game's playgrounds, is where it all comes together best for his tactical skills, whipping topspin forehand and gladiatorial mindset. Clay is to Rafael Nadal what water is to Michael Phelps, which helps explain one of the most impressive individual sports achievements of the 21st century.

Clarey draws on interviews over many years with Nadal and his team and with rivals like Roger Federer. Not just a book about tennis, The Warrior draws much wider lessons from Nadal's approach to competition.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
  • Publish Date: May 13rd, 2025
  • Pages: 368
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 9.10in - 6.40in - 1.30in - 1.25lb
  • EAN: 9781538759134
  • Categories: Racket Sports - TennisSports

More books to explore

Book Cover for: Open: An Autobiography, Andre Agassi
Book Cover for: All in: An Autobiography, Billie Jean King
Book Cover for: The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality, Mike Sielski
Book Cover for: The Master: The Long Run and Beautiful Game of Roger Federer, Christopher Clarey
Book Cover for: Arthur Ashe: A Life, Raymond Arsenault
Book Cover for: The Circuit: A Tennis Odyssey, Rowan Ricardo Phillips
Book Cover for: The Speed Game: My Fast Times in Basketball, Paul Westhead
Book Cover for: The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance, W. Timothy Gallwey
Book Cover for: Naomi Osaka: Her Journey to Finding Her Power and Her Voice, Ben Rothenberg
Book Cover for: Queen of the Court: The Many Lives of Tennis Legend Alice Marble, Madeleine Blais
Book Cover for: Seeing Serena, Gerald Marzorati
Book Cover for: 41-Love: A Memoir, Scarlett Thomas
Book Cover for: Unstoppable: My Life So Far, Maria Sharapova
Book Cover for: Maradona: The Boy. the Rebel. the God., Guillem Balague
Book Cover for: A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke, Ronald Reng

About the Author

Christopher Clarey was the longtime tennis columnist and global sports correspondent for the New York Times and International Herald Tribune, covering more than 100 Grand Slam tournaments and 15 Olympics.

More books by Christopher Clarey

Book Cover for: The Master: The Long Run and Beautiful Game of Roger Federer, Christopher Clarey

What people are saying

kirkusreviews.com