Rafael Nadal's First Major Visual Biography is Published by Assouline
Recently, Nadal announced on his personal Instagram: a collaboration with French publisher Assouline to release the book 《Rafa Nadal》. This is Nadal's first major visual biography, intended to offer a complete retrospective of his life and career.
The book is written by renowned journalist, 60 Minutes correspondent and veteran tennis writer Jon Wertheim, with Nadal himself also contributing. Jon is also co-host of Andy Roddick's video podcast 'Served with Andy Roddick'. (Click for related reading)
《Rafa Nadal》 spans 336 pages and brings together a wealth of rare images from Nadal's career, with no fewer than 353 photographs. These photos come from the private collections of Nadal himself, his family and friends, many of which have never been made public before.
The book also features insightful reflections and tributes from Roger Federer, King Felipe VI of Spain, Nadal's wife Mery Perello, his father Sebastian Nadal, his uncle and first coach Toni Nadal, and his second coach Carlos Moyá. Readers will journey through Nadal's thrilling moments on the red clay of Roland Garros as well as leisurely times in the streets of his hometown of Manacor, Mallorca.
On his personal Instagram, Nadal wrote: "Looking back on these moments, I am filled with emotion. I hope that as you explore this story both on and off the court, you enjoy it as much as I did when recalling the past."
According to the Assouline official website, the RMB prices for 《Rafa Nadal》 are as follows:
- Classic edition: Priced at RMB 1,100. The cover features a portrait of Nadal from his 2005 French Open debut.
- Ultimate edition: Priced at RMB 10,700. The book comes in a clamshell box that recreates the look of the red clay of Court Philippe-Chatrier, and opens with a photo of his blistered hands as he held his seventh trophy in 2012.
- Signed limited edition: Priced at RMB 26,800. Some Ultimate editions are personally signed by Nadal and weigh approximately 20 pounds (about 9 kg).
The book is now available for pre-order on the Assouline website, with the official release date set for October 13.
The book's publisher, Assouline, was founded in Paris in 1994 by Prosper and Martine Assouline. Because of its distinctive creative approach to presenting culture, art and lifestyle through visual storytelling, it has been dubbed by The New York Times as "the Hermès of publishing".
Assouline has established deep collaborations with numerous top luxury brands, including: Louis Vuitton, Dior, Chanel, Cartier, Gucci, Guerlain, Saint Laurent, Valentino, Rolex and others, gaining exclusive access to these brands' archives to publish authoritative and exquisitely crafted brand monographs.
This is also not the first time Assouline has published a visual biography for a tennis star. In 2024, it published the 《Federer》 visual biography for Roger Federer. That book was completed over more than two years in close collaboration with Federer himself and his wife Mirka, and included many never-before-seen photographs.
| Source: Official press release, Assouline official website, Nadal's personal Instagram
| Image source: Assouline official website