A rockstar day: Details of Rafael Nadal’s first 24 hours in Chile

It is 2 p.m. on Thursday, November 24, and a renowned hotel in the eastern sector of Santiago takes over. On the fourth floor, a horde of journalists overcome the delay of a press conference to find out how the World Cup duel between Brazil and Serbia is going. In the hall, on the other hand, a dozen fans fill the entrance of the building, loaded with tennis rackets and giant balls. Everyone is waiting for a protagonist. But he still hasn’t reached his destination due to a delayed flight and congested streets in the scorching nation’s capital.

Of course, the scene changes when a few minutes before 2:45 p.m., Rafael Nadal appears in the room on the fourth floor. Shy applause to kick off a press conference that it lasted almost 40 minutes and which made the Spaniard talk about subjects as diverse as the opinion around his rival on Friday in San Carlos, the feelings after a year mixed with milestones and injuries and his point of view after the protests of the teams in the World Cup in Qatar.

The instance (routine in transcendent places on the calendar, but special for a southern cone not used to having these powers hand in hand) ended with a mass of reporters trying to take a selfie and with the Spaniard coming down to eat at the hotel restaurant where he will be until Friday evening. A few meters away and separated by glass doors, the mass of fans continues relentlessly, shouting “Rafa” repeatedly and with some characters trying to sneak into the building to go hand in hand with their idol. The wait will be worth it, because after your first meal on Chilean soil, the Spaniard took the time to autograph shirts and balls . It was his first encounter with a mass in Santiago. Something he had to live with all day, especially when he reached the foothills.

At 6:00 p.m. Thursday, the San Carlos de Apoquindo tennis court was the furthest thing from a quiet place. On one side there was the sound of the bleachers finishing in the Great Court and on the other the murmur of hundreds of children fidgeting nervously in the company of parents who made signs of reproach to the youngsters for running away. to the auxiliary courts. Emotion was in the air and very early on we realized that when Nadal arrived, madness was going to be unleashed.

It is that the agitation was sometimes uncontrollable. The only thing that helped calm things down a bit was that Before the arrival of the Manacorí, Gustavo Fernández, Martín de la Puente and Alejandro Tabilo took part in the clinic planned as before the exhibition. They played with the children who were on courts 12 and 13 and managed to carry out an activity that in the end had to be cut short because of Rafamanía.

And it is that when the Spaniard appeared on the auxiliary courts, those present went into ecstasy. Lots of applause, cries of children, emotion among adults and a human mass that has given no respite to the current world number two. The agitation was such that he finally could not play with the boys, but only He photographed himself with the groups training on each of the eight auxiliary courts.

It was a pilgrimage in true rockstar style, with security guards, dozens of photographers following him and a circle of fans surrounding him on every track. Carlos Costa (Nadal’s Manager) and Exequiel Carvajal (Yogurt de Mora) tried to calm the dynamic a bit but it was impossible. The commotion around her only grew. That’s why the start was quick, within the limits of the possible.

He scored a few balls for a lucky few and his figure disappeared from public view, while the shouts and celebrations of those who could see him up close eventually caught the eye. As if he was John Lennon in the middle of Beatlemania.

Gone are the hustle and bustle, the masses and the sun of Santiago. Night fell on the capital and Rafa had his first moment of distraction of the day. At 9:20 p.m. he arrives at the Fashion Museum and enjoyed a meal of Vietnamese rolls, fish from the Chilean coast, and various desserts.

It was the Fashion Museum Cup Dinner, an instance imagined by Jorge Yarur and organized by caterer Sofía Jottar. A private event attended by various personalities from the national scene. For example, there were Cecilia and Diana Bolocco, Raquel Argandoña, the mayor of Vitacura and the president of the Chilean Tennis Federation, Sergio Elías.

Fernando González and Nicolás Massú were also present. , two of the representatives of the golden generation that they shared with Rafa on the circuit. He still says questions about ‘Nico’, pointing to the role he had as coach of Dominic Thiem. He even spoke about ‘Mano de Piedra’ during the press conference, recalling the duel they had for gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

The table split obviously left the winner of 22 Grand Slams in the middle, accompanied by his entourage, Alejandro Tabilo, Gustavo Fernández, Martín de la Puente and Jorge Yarur . The conversations and topics that were discussed will remain for them, as it was impossible to know what was discussed at a table always protected by two servers who passed each other when someone tried to take a picture of the illustrious visitor.

The celebration also featured a series of tribute videos for players and with flamenco show and singing , in the purest Spanish style. Attractive for a ceremony that lasted a long time, since the desserts were not brought until 11:50 p.m., which for the occasion were a Crown of Berries and a Pyramid of Chocolate.

Rafa, for his part, took advantage of this moment to say goodbye. It’s been an exhausting day and the trip isn’t over yet, so staying up late the night before the big show isn’t an option. Today he will have to train, live with the fans and go out for play a match in a full stadium, with 12,000 people who will trigger the Rafamanía again in Santiago . After that, you will return to the hotel and take a private flight to Brazil to continue your South American tour. It’s a rockstar’s routine, but performed by a tennis player, which also couldn’t be further from it. It’s just that sometimes the life of a sports star can be similar to that of a chart-topping musician. His first 24 hours in Chile prove it.