Hamish Blair/Associated Press
There’s a bay in Manacor, Mallorca, where Rafael Nadal has a plot of land. It's across a passageway from his uncle's home and where he's constructing his family home.
And a few months ago, he gave serious thought to the idea that he might become a full-time resident. He had a stubborn foot injury that not only was slow to heal, but was also causing him more pain and discomfort than any other injury he had in his career, which is saying something. Even when he got on the plane to come to Australia four weeks ago, even through a bout of COVID-19 earlier in December, it was unclear whether he'd be able to play in this tournament and how well he would do. He's been in Melbourne for a full month, which is longer than he has spent preparing for any event, and has had a flawless time so far that may end up, in some ways, rewriting his entire career.
