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There are a few names that are synonymous with Tennis such as Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Angre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Novak Djokovic and of course Rafael Nadal. Of all these personalities, none stands out as much as Rafael Nadal profile. He is practically Tennis royalty. In fact he is referred to as the ‘King of Clay’ and for good reasons. He is absolutely invincible on the clay. Most of the titles that he has garnered to date have been won on that particular surface. But he also fares considerably well on grass and hard courts. He has been at the top of the ranking ladder for a long time till quite recently when he was relegated to the number five position. Below are a few interesting facts and trivia about this ace shuttler:

• Rafael Nadal is a child prodigy. While most of his counterparts were potty training at the age of three, Nadal was already at the courts whipping the racquet around.
• He was taught how to play tennis at the age of eleven by his uncle who remains his coach to this day. Talk about steadfast loyalties.
• He is popularly and fondly referred to as ‘Rafa’ by his colleagues, family and friends.
• His full name is Rafael Nadal Perera; ‘Nadal’ is a Catalan word which when transalated means ‘Christmas’.
• Nadal is ambidextrous in nature; for a player who is right handed in general, he plays exclusively using his left hand.
• Nada was brought up in Manacor, Mallorca. He is very attached to his home town and finds it as a solace to get away to once in a while.
• His particular habit of biting the trophies that he won started at an early stage and soon developed into his trademark move.
• When he is not playing tennis, he like to keep himself busy, playing video games, golf and at time soccer.
• From April 2005 until May 2007, he has won eighty one matches in a row, which is considered as an Open Era single season record.
• He has amassed a total of thirty nine titles in his career, of which his best to date has been the match OF 2008 Roland Garros against Roger Federer, his arch rival over the years.
• He was ranked numero uno in the rank list for the first time on eighteenth August 2008.
• He has been featured in two of Pop sensation Shakira’s music videos- Gypsy and She Wolf.

Serena Williams and Venus Williams, besides being two most prolific Tennis champions to have ever graced the Tennis history, happened to be sisters as well. They have a year and few months between their birth dates, but when it comes down to the brass tacks- they might as well be twins. Their techniques, their on-field skills, their ability and sometimes even their very dubious fashion choices, though not exactly mirror images, have an uncanny resemblance to each other. Even their rise to fame is in tandem with each other. You hear about Venus scoring a title, it is almost immediately followed by Serena winning a championship. Sometimes they pair up in double to win a championship or two together.

They have both been ranked Number one in their respective careers. Though Venus has been ranked numero uno only for a total of eleven weeks, Serena has been at the top of the ladder for nearly 123 weeks. Also, Serena Williams currently ranks at Number three position while Venus is at the 24th position in the rank list. Granted they are siblings that love each other very much, but it needs to be stressed here that a fierce rivalry exists between the two sisters though it has never turned sour at any point.

While most of us have faced a moderate dose of sibling rivalry at some point in our lives, it can’t be the same as being pitted against your sister in a very competitive and global sport. The sheer stress and the ego should have driven them apart by now, but the Williams sisters dazzles us with more than an impressive performance- their respect and admiration towards each other and their ability to draw a distinction between their professional and personal lives. Having played together, they have a tally of 21 titles which includes thirteen Grand Slam titles and three Olympic Gold medals.

Separately, Venus had a total of forty four titles to her credit while Serena has forty six. These two sisters have faced each other, head on, in not one but four consecutive Grand slam finals. Serena has proven to have an edge over her sister in most tournaments that they competed in. Serena profile has earned her endorsement deals worth Dollar 34,772,829, more than other female athlete. As for Venus Williams, her profile comes in second with Dollar 27,750,251. Even amidst all this rivalry, the two players stand tall, a true testament to family and outstanding sportsmanship.