The Warrior: Rafael Nadal and His Kingdom of Clay

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.

Author: Christopher Clarey
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 05/13/2025
Pages: 368
Weight: 1.25lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.40w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9781538759134


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal Prepub Alert 12/01/2023 pg. 12
Publishers Weekly 03/24/2025
Kirkus Reviews 05/01/2025
Booklist 05/01/2025 pg. 15

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.