MADRID, 8 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal and the basketball player Ricky Rubio presided over the graduation at the academy of the new Roland Garros champion, a ceremony in which 33 students have finished their school stage at the ‘Rafa Nadal International School’, the school American international located in the academy facilities.
As is now tradition, Rafa Nadal presided over the ceremony and addressed the families, the teachers and the young students to congratulate them on having completed a very important period in their lives.
During his speech, the winner of 22 ‘majors’ highlighted the importance of the fight to overcome adversity: “I know that what is in fashion now is immediacy and that patience is not a virtue that is highly valued. When we want anything, we just have to pick up the mobile phone and make a purchase, watch news, or get the information we need,” he said.
“But today I would like to remind you that the great goals in life are not achieved overnight. They are achieved by fighting, fighting and learning from falls. I am convinced that all of you are going to be great professionals and good people, which is what But I also tell you from experience, that along the way you are going to find moments that you did not expect, and with disappointments that will make you doubt everything,” Nadal added in his speech.
“It is in those moments in which you must lean on your family, your friends and the people you trust who will remind you of your dreams and your goals to dream of them again. Failure is only bad if you do not know how to get up and go back to fight. Sometimes you’ll fall once, and again, and again. But that’s when you have to be humble and accept that sometimes things don’t turn out the way we always want”, said the Balearic tennis player.
In this sense, Nadal assured that “in a society that is inclined towards short-term things”, he prefers to “claim two virtues that seem to be out of fashion: humility and perseverance”. “If you are patient and have the persistence and optimism necessary to not give up, you will have a lot to gain in this life. But I also tell you that virtues are not acquired immediately, you also have to work on them on a day-to-day basis, in your daily activity “, said.
If in previous ceremonies the guests at the graduation were Pau Gasol, David Ferrer, Ona Carbonell, Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova, the latter two virtually, this year the godfather was the Spanish basketball player Ricky Rubio.
The NBA player also encouraged the young players to make an effort, to give their best and not give up in the face of adversity. The ceremony also featured speeches by Alexander Marcos Walker (Director of the Rafa Nadal School), and the graduates Daniel Azrak Marbán (Valedictorian), Xavier Sabach (Salutatorian).