Sport | Tennis
Nadal says no to daredevil sports
Rafael Nadal will not risk his tennis career by experimenting with any sort of extreme sports or leisure activities.
- By Alaric Gomes, Senior Reporter
- Published: 01:49 March 7, 2008
- Image Credit: Karl Jeffs/Gulf News
- Playing it safe Nadal believes pastimes such as skiing and sky diving may affect his career.
Dubai: Rafael Nadal will not risk his tennis career by experimenting with any sort of extreme sports or leisure activities.
"I will not do any sort of sport that is dangerous for my tennis," Nadal said after his second-round win against Russian qualifier Mikhail Ledovskikh on Wednesday.
The Spaniard was narrating his experiences after his visit to Emaar Properties' Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building.
"I was totally scared as we went up in the temporary escalator," Nadal disclosed. "But once we reached up, it was such an amazing view. It was such a great experience just watching everything around. But getting there was the scary bit."
Besides a career in tennis, some players on the tour have other passions like Andy Roddick enjoying sky diving or Novak Djokovic skiing once in a while. "I don't like the risks involved in doing such activities," Nadal said.
"Maybe I would do something like sky diving or bungee jumping or even skiing after I stop playing tennis."
Too dangerous
"These activities are way too dangerous for a sport like tennis. I did do some skiing when I was nine or ten years old."
Nadal was among a party of about 10 people taking the external escalator up to the 158th floor of the Burj Dubai tower. Among others, Nadal was accompanied by his uncle and Greg Sang, director of Emaar Properties.
"My uncle was real scared as we went up by the lift. He was crouching low on his haunches out of fear," Nadal said while jokingly demonstrating his actions.
"Though it is a temporary escalator, they told me that they have not had a single accident during the past three years, and that was a huge relief," he smiled.
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