The Warrior

“A scintillating account of the elastic Spaniard’s epic run to the pinnacle of men’s professional tennis.”–Wall Street Journal Book Review”[Christopher Clarey] is well positioned to write Nadal’s biography, having already penned The Master: The Brilliant Career of Roger Federer. Clarey can thus be called the Walter Isaacson of sports biographers - and we now await his verdict on Djokovic.” –The Federal“Shrewd and informative.”–The Times“A wonderful addition to the canon of great tennis books… offers new insight into Nadal’s unprecedented dominance on clay courts.”–Town & Country“Christopher Clarey wrote what is widely regarded as the definitive book on Roger Federer: The Master. Now he has produced a similarly authoritative book on Federer’s longtime rival and friend, Rafael Nadal: The Warrior. The book tells the story of both Nadal and clay-court tennis, using the Spanish great’s relationship with Roland Garros, the French Open, as its frame.”–The New York Times“The definitive volume on the definitive clay court player of all time.”–Vogue“This insightful, wide-ranging book could serve as a model for other sports biographers…. An inspired portrait of an unusually dominant athlete.”–Kirkus Reviews“Though the narrative focuses on Nadal, Roland-Garros’s clay courts become a character in their own right as Clarey provides rich background on the event’s history… It’s a meticulous recap of one of tennis’s great achievements.”–Publishers Weekly

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.