'Life is not easy' - Rafael Nadal addresses academy graduates with powerful speech

The Rafa Nadal Academy conducted a star-studded graduation ceremony earlier this week, and Rafael Nadal addressed the successful batch with a heartfelt and contemplative speech. In a video posted on the official Instagram handle of the academy, the 19-time Grand Slam champion was seen stressing on the importance of learning from the difficulties that come your way.

“We have been through very difficult and complicated times. I hope it has been a period of learning for all of you. Life, most of the time, is not easy," World No. 2 Rafael Nadal said to the eager batch of students, who seemed to hang on to every word he uttered.

The graduation ceremony was attended by Rafael Nadal in person, and also virtually by other stars like Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova - who said their bit through video conferencing. That was of course necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which Rafael Nadal seemed to be preoccupied with while talking about the obstacles the students from this batch had faced.

Rafael Nadal's academy is a breeding ground for top-notch talent

The Rafael Nadal academy.

The academy, founded by Rafael Nadal in 2016, is possibly the best equipped tennis coaching centre in the world right now. Located in Manacor, where Rafael Nadal himself has a house, the academy boasts of 26 tennis courts and other state-of-the-art facilities for the trainees.

But Nadal wants his academy graduates to remain grounded - not unlike himself - as evidenced by his words in the powerful speech.

"Hopefully this period of time has helped you to gain strength and experience for the challenges you may face in the future. We can learn from all of this that we need to be surrounded by good people, those who give us positive things so that life is more positive. It is vital to make the right decisions at key times in our lives,” he went on to add.

Nadal wants his wards to learn from the current adversities and approach problems positively, which would help them make the right choices in life. The students, dressed in blue robes, were seated away from each other at the appropriate 'social' distance and were seen listening to their idol intently during the short video.

Roger Federer's video message to the students had stressed on the importance of dedication and perseverance in achieving any kind of success. Federer had also said that the road ahead might not always be smooth, echoing Nadal, but added that hard work seldom goes unrewarded.

While Federer's season is now over due to injury, Nadal doesn't seem mentally prepared to think about the game right now either, as revealed by recent interviews. The Spaniard's speech exemplifies his concerns right now, which transcend the sport of tennis.