RAFAEL NADAL, the No.2-ranked tennis player in the world, is a lot of things: He's as close to unbeatable on clay as anyone in the sport has ever been, he's one of the few players to beat Roger Federer with any regularity, and he possesses perhaps the single most muscular left arm in the history of tennis (his nonhitting right arm is half the size). What Nadal, or Rafa, as he's known to his friends and fellow Mallorcans, is not is particularly lighthearted. We guess that goes with being one of the best.

Q Do you think you could beat Roger Federer in an arm-wrestling contest?

A That's irrelevant. The important thing is that on a tennis court he is better than me.

Q Do you have a regular weight-training program?

A No, but I do work out during what we call the preseason. I do a lot of bicycling, and I concentrate on arms, legs and shoulders.

Q You've got the biggest arms in tennis. How do you train them?

A I'm not working on them to get them bigger. If you see my left arm, it's more developed because I play left-handed. Most of it comes from playing tennis and not from a gym.

Q What was your most satisfying victory?

A I'm not sure I could point out only one. Definitely the Davis Cup win in Seville [Spain] against Andy Roddick was very special, as are my three titles at Roland Garros [site of the French Open].

Q Other than the French Open, which Grand Slam is your favorite to play in?

A Wimbledon was and still is my dream. I love to play on grass, to feel that atmosphere there, but I would love to win any Grand Slam. They're all very difficult.

Q Do you think the size of your arms gives you a psychological advantage over your opponents?

A Definitely not. It's not my arms, it's more my way of running and competing.

Q What one match do you consider to have been your hardest, both physically and mentally?

A There are a few of them. The five-set match [win against Guillermo Coria] for more than five hours in the finals at Rome [Internazionali BNL d'Italia] I consider epic. There were great matches--great fights --against Federer as well.

Q What's most satisfying to you about tennis?

A The competition. I love to compete.

Q Which legendary tennis player from the past would you most like to have played?

A I know that can't happen, so I don't even think about it.

Q Who are some of your favorite players?

A I never had any idols or favorite players.

Q How do you think history will remember you?

A I don't know.

--Mark Thorpe

RAFAEL NADAL

BRITHDATE:

June 3, 1986

BIRTHPLACE & RESIDENCE:

Manacor, Mallorca, Spain

HEIGHT: 6'1"

WEIGHT: 188 pounds

TENNIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Three-time French Open champion (2005-07); two-time Wimbledon runner-up (2006-07); won a record 81 consecutive clay-court matches before being beaten by Roger Federer in the 2007 Hamburg Masters final; ranked No. 2 in the world

CONTACT:

refaelnadal.com