Do a search on this forum for rafa + god. In an interview, he said something along the lines of 'If there is a God, he/she would know what to do, I can't tell he/she what to do' Something like that.
I think that's cool, the worse thing in sports is seeing people make the sign of the cross or raise their hands up thanking some imaginary being. What do they think? God thinks they're special and the other guy is a doucebag?
As was suggested, I looked around and found a couple more quotes from Rafa and Uncle Toni on this subject.
This is what he said in 2007.
A Mallorca state of mind
<snip>
"My teachers were always very tough," said Rafa, who went to a private, religious school taught by monks. "They didn't accept poor work, especially if they knew you were capable of better. They always pushed you to work harder, be better. Be a better student, be a better person."
<snip>
"I would like to believe there is a God, but I think it is better to say I'm not sure there is a God and live your life with kindness and respect for people than to say I know there is a God and then do bad things," he said.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=granderson/070525
This in July
Q&A with Rafael Nadal
Shortly after he won his second Wimbledon title in June, Rafael Nadal met with a small group of reporters from international publications, including Sports Illustrated. Some outtakes from that Q&A session:
<snip>
Do you believe in God? We see football players crossing themselves. You don't do that. Do you do praying?
It's hard to say, "I don't believe in God." I would love to know if God exists. But it's a very difficult thing for me to believe. I don't know. It's private and I don't want to speak about it, but I say, "If God exists, you don't need [to cross yourself] or pray." If God exists, he's intelligent enough to [do] the important things, the right things.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/jon_wertheim/07/16/nadal.interview/index.html
I also found this...
The enigmatic Toni Nadal
http://www.zimbio.com/Rafael+Nadal/articles/1311/The+enigmatic+Toni+Nadal
<Snip>
Q: What role does religion play in your life?
Toni Nadal
Zero. I don’t believe. I studied history in university. Religion comes from ignorance in people. Tribal societies, when they see a flash of lightning or something unusual, they say it come from the Magician. But when society move forward, and technology discover more, religion goes in the back. For me, is very important to be moral – to be good person. But not religion.
