We like our local hero:

Rafael Nadal clinches 8th French open win

It was good to see him back to his best after all the injury problems he's had - and an all-Spanish final, too. There was a very complimentary article by Pat Cash in yesterday's Sunday Times, praising the way young players are trained in Spain. He sent his own son over to improve his game, there's a testament if ever there was one.

He knows clay.

And is one of the few players who has a good record on grass as well - he hasn't done too badly at Wimbledon, after all!

The guy is a pretty amazing athlete. He's managed to come back to the top from what would for most, be career-ending injur(ies).

But what I find particularly respectable is his humbleness, especially considering his huge successes. I'd have to believe that humility would be hard to maintain under those circumstances.

He lives a very down to earth lifestyle in Manacor, a very low-key, non-touristy town. He has lots of very average friends and family, and doesn't play "celebrity" at all. In fact, you'll find very few signs of "Rafa worship" in that town. When not on tour, you can find him relaxing at many of the local cafes without any sign of bodyguards (or crowds of fans), and nobody treats him like some sort of god to be worshipped. If you meet him on the street, he's genuinely friendly and down to earth. It's just Rafa. Everybody knows him and it's no big deal.

They're all very proud of him, though, and you can bet that every bar has every match playing live on the telly.