The book “Orantes: De la barraca al podio” was presented in Barcelona, the biography of the former Spanish tennis player written by journalist Félix Sentmenat and edited by Libros de Vanguardia, with a special prologue by Rafael Nadal.
During the event held at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona-1899, Manolo Orantes was accompanied by other former players of his generation such as José Luis Arilla, Antonio Muñoz, Ángel Giménez, Javier Soler or the Hungarian Balázs Taróczy.
The book tells the self-improvement story of Spain’s first Masters champion in 1976, as well as winner of the US Open in 1975 and runner-up at Roland Garros in 1974. In addition to first-person experiences of the Granada man linked to Barcelona since his childhood, the testimonies of legends of his time such as Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Guillermo Vilas, Ilie Nastase or Stan Smith are also collected.
A champion who, after Rafael Nadal, is the most successful Spanish player on the ATP circuit (34 in singles and 23 in doubles), who rose to the rank of number two in the world, who managed to win the Masters (1976 ) in the individual and doubles category with Joan Gisbert (1975) and who forged his prize list in the golden age of the 1970s.
Former tennis player Alexander Waske recently praised Roger Federer for his authenticity despite his fame and success.
Waske comments on Roger Federer
“In my eyes, you are the best when you not only succeed but also change the whole game.
Roger Federer did it impressively. His elegance and style of play weren’t there before, plus that down-to-earth attitude. I have the greatest respect for him, not only as a player but also as a person,” Waske said.
To prove that Roger Federer acts the same on and off camera, Alexander Waske brought up a short anecdote from one of the rare times their careers crossed.
“I fondly remember an episode with him at Wimbledon in 2015, when I was coaching Tommy Haas. We sat together in a very large, elegant house rented by Tommy’s management.
A week later, Prince Albert of Monaco was to live there. No shoes were allowed to be worn inside the house. The screams from the kids were huge because the two Federer twins and Tommy’s daughter were playing tag,” Waske said.
“Roger doesn’t care if the camera is on or not. He’s the way he is, friendly and not just kind to people in high positions.”
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