The secret of the sports champions’ exploits? It’s not just the workout

“You know what my favorite part of the game is? The chance to play,” said 1980s football player Mike Singletary. I was thinking about this when I saw Rafa Nadal win his XXII Grand Slam trophy, the fourteenth Roland Garros. It is an exceptional feat when you consider that he had arrived in Paris with a foot problem so severe that it actually made it painful not only to play against the best, but to get out of bed.