Rafael Nadal got his recognition

Leader in the world rankings two Rafael Nadal was chosen as one of the most successful Spanish athletes in 2010 according to the traditional prizes of the Spanish newspaper "AS". A glittering ceremony, attended by some of the biggest Spanish stars Rafael received his prize from the hands of recently departed from professional tennis Carlos Moya and the audience in the hall stood up and applauded their hero for a minute.

"Thank you for your applause, but I think it was too much," said shyly Rafael Nadal. "For me it was the most exciting and best season of my career. Last year, I went through several difficult situations, but thanks to you all - friends, family, fans and media I returned back to where I was. Now I'm even better than before! "
"I am honored to be among you. I want to congratulate all the winners and all Spanish athletes because we had an unforgettable year. For me as a lover of sport has been a pleasure to watch you. Thank you very much" added Rafa.

The other nominees were the Spanish coach Vicente del Bosque, motorcycling champions Jorge Lorenzo and Marc Marquez, and Iker Casillas as a representative of the national soccer team that won the world title of 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Casillas did not give interviews to the media because of his ban from club Real Madrid after losing from Barcelona.

In this regard Nadal joked that it was extremely painful for him to lose a Masters in London and then to see how his favorite team, Real Madrid fell to 0:5 from its eternal rival. Nadal added that he had sent an SMS encouraging Cristiano Ronaldo and the other footballers, and several of the Barcelona footballers, congratulating them with victory.