By Rafa Nadal is not only one of the most loved sportsman in the world, the 17-time Grand Slam winner is second only to Roger Federer as the most successful male tennis players of all time.
And if that’s not enough, the dude is also one of the most shredded people out there. The King of Clay is a relentless player who knows he can rely on his strength and conditioning when the going gets tough.
Anyone whose ever seen him play with testament to his bulging bicep and shredded physique, and now the Spaniard has revealed exactly what he chows-down on to stay in such magnificent shape.
Pre match:
Before Nadal took on Austria’s Dominic Thiem at this years U.S. Open Quarter final, he tweeted a pic of his pre-match breakfast: bread, olive oil, Iberian ham. He pairs it with a glass of orange juice:
Rafa recovered from being given a tennis-lesson by Thiem in the first set. The up-and-coming Austrian beat Rafa by a bagel (6-0), but the Spanish ace was able to recover and dominate the match. Clearly the breakfast is working!
Mid-Match:
Rafa keeps it simple during matches. He guzzles down water and isotonic drinks to keep himself hydrated, while chowing-down on the occasional banana as you can see from the pic below:
Post-Match:
Rafa allows himself a treat meal after winning a big match. His go-to is the classic Spanish dish, paella, which he enjoys with fresh-seafood.
“Only sometimes, not every day,” he told Forbes. “You eat paella every day, you cannot play tennis.”
Rafa keeps it fish-based even when he’s not having paella:
Shrimp and dumplings are another favorite meal of Nadal’s, according to a segment from Australian Open TV. As for guilty pleasures, Nadal is a huge fan of olives. Not really surprising when you consider he’s from the beautiful Spanish island of Mallorca, home to some fire olives.
“I love eating olives,” Nadal told CNBC. “They’re healthy but maybe not if you eat as much as me. And I like chocolate.”
So there you have it. Try this diet out for a couple months and see if you can get jacked like Rafa. Good luck.