Rafael Nadal was born in 1986 and started playing tennis in 1989 - so he was three years old. He was coached, even at that early age, by his uncle, Toni Nadal, who used to be a professional tennis player himself.

As a small child Rafael played both football and tennis, but after he won his first championship at the age of eight it was clear that tennis would be his career. at 12 he won both Spanish and European championships, and after this his uncle - who was still his coach - persuaded him to give up football and concentrate on tennis. In the next few years he continued to be coached at home rather than go to another city for formal training, and he began to be internationally famous at the age of 15 when he beat former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash.

Since turning professional, also at the age of 15, Nadal has had a team of coaches as well as his uncle - you can find their names here.