Rafael Nadal: 'It's important to find clothes that are comfortable and fit you well'

As the French Open gets underway, Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal, a global brand ambassador for Tommy Hilfiger Tailored, underwear and fragrance, took some time to show us the THFLEX Rafael Nadal Edition capsule collection, which brings together sartorial tailoring and performance fabrics, as well as answer our questions about his style both on and off the court.

How did the collaboration between you and Tommy, the man and the brand come about? Did you know the brand before getting involved with it?
 
I met Tommy for the first time in Monte Carlo in 2005 or 2006. I've known the brand since as long as I can remember. We had a great feeling about each other from the beginning, he was very nice with me and my team. We kept a good relationship throughout these years and he came up with this proposal last year for me to become ambassador for this campaign.... It's very special to me to be part of the Tommy Hilfiger family. Our relationship has been very friendly and that's the most important thing.
And of course I was using the brand before I became ambassador.

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What does wearing a suit represent for you?
 
Well it depends, it can be very official, it depends on what you combine it with. I think with Tommy you have both aspects -- comfort and the serious side. With THFlex, the suit is super comfortable. Sometimes when you wear a jacket it's difficult to feel comfortable because, especially for sportsmen, we get used to wearing very comfortable clothes.... With THFlex you can even practice your sport with it! The great thing is that you can wear it to go to events and out at night and still feel very comfortable.
 
What do you look for when choosing what to wear?
 
Quality is always important but at the same time it's important to find the pieces that will fit you well and the ones you feel comfortable in. I feel very comfortable with the Tommy Hilfiger brand. Tommy has all the pieces that you need to wear for every moment of the day, so that helps a lot.
 
What are your favorite pieces in your closet?
 
Well I like to go out with jeans and a shirt.
 
Regarding your style on the court, technology has changed a lot in the past few years, comfort and fabrics have evolved... what are you looking for when it comes to what you wear on the court?
 
When you play, the most important thing is that you need to feel 100% comfortable and know the clothes won't bother you. You're sweating a lot so you need to find the right materials, and the good thing with Nike is that they try their best to bring the best for their athletes. They do a great job.
 
You seem very style-conscious, how do you choose your colors and styles?
 
We really choose the colors together. With Nike we change outfits so many times within the year, so sometimes it's difficult to find different colors and different models but we really have the possibility to choose the clothes that we want to wear.