Episode 399: Christopher Clarey on ”The Warrior: Rafael Nadal and His Kingdom of Clay”

2025-05-13

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Ben is joined by his longtime NYT teammate Christopher Clarey to discuss the release today of his new book, The Warrior: Rafael Nadal and His Kingdom of Clay, exploring both the prolific 14-time champion at Roland Garros and the dusty red landscape of his triumphs. Topics include: how Nadal's frenetic, obsessive energy shaped Chris's own writing process, Nadal's language proficiencies (or lack thereof), how the media access landscape has changed over the course of his career reporting on Nadal, ...

Ben is joined by his longtime NYT teammate Christopher Clarey to discuss the release today of his new book, The Warrior: Rafael Nadal and His Kingdom of Clay, exploring both the prolific 14-time champion at Roland Garros and the dusty red landscape of his triumphs.

Topics include: how Nadal's frenetic, obsessive energy shaped Chris's own writing process, Nadal's language proficiencies (or lack thereof), how the media access landscape has changed over the course of his career reporting on Nadal, Nadal's complex relationships with his top rivals, the specter of doping allegations over Nadal's era, how top athletes like Nadal decide when to stop, the archetype of Spanish masculinity Nadal presents and lack of women in his tennis orbit, and more.

The book is out today, so do check it out!

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