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Sebastian Yatra is one of the biggest stars in the world. Aside from performing on some of the world’s biggest stages, he’s also someone who’s unafraid to put himself out there. This summer, Yatra was featured in the U.S. Open. While he performed onstage, he also played alongside Carlos Alcaraz, this year’s winner of Wimbledon, the biggest tennis tournament in the world. Yatra’s ability to push himself and go out of his comfort zone has resulted in all manner of opened doors, including a friendship with Rafael Nadal.
In an interview with GQ, Yatra discussed his friendship with Nadal, whom he met on an awards show in Spain. Yatra revealed he has a pink and black tennis bag that was a gift from Nadal, who’s coached him in tennis and has taught him a valuable lesson. After Yatra asked him how he handles losing, Nadal said that it’s all about competing and playing, which are things that he loves more than winning itself. It’s a lesson that Yatra has taken to heart.
Yatra also opened up about his friendship with Alcaraz, with the two bonding over playing a doubles match and winning. “Carlos is super natural,” said Yatra. “He knows what he wants and he gets it, but without unhealthy ambition.”
Yatra’s training with Rafa Nadal
In order to prepare for his match at the U.S. Open, Yatra took his tennis work very seriously, with it being a sport that he practices to this day. “We’ve been trying to play tennis here but it’s hard,” he said. “You go to the tennis court and people are playing pickleball. Like, I’m sorry to all people that play pickleball. But I can’t respect that.”
In a video shared on his Instagram, Yatra revealed that he traveled to Mallorca to train with Nadal himself. The clip follows him on his journey to Spain, featuring FaceTime conversations with Nadal, and minutes of the two playing against each other. “I aced Nadal!” he said at one point. Nadal laughed and said, “Leave with this, Sebas.”