With his first triumph in the ATP circuit, before the Paraguayan Delgado in Mallorca, with 15 years and 10 months, Rafael Nadal began writing one of the most beautiful pages in Spanish sport. Today, nearly seven years later, the Prince of Asturias Award recognizes an extraordinary career, yet to be written, it has risen to the top of world ranking after a course indelible 2008.

Nadal happens in the prize to German Michael Schumacher after winning (18, joined the 24 votes) to U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps, the athlete with most Olympic gold medals (14) after eight conquered in Beijing, the Jamaican sprinter USAIN Bolt, the first man able to beat two world records in the same three games if joins achieved with his selection in the 4x100-relay, the selection of Spanish football champions of Europe and the saltadora Trolley Russian Yelena Isinbayeva, the unstoppable until 5.05 m. in 'Nest' china from the capital, where he joined his vigésimocuarta plusmarca.

Step by step, year by year, Nadal has cut the enormous distance that separated him from so far unattainable tennis, Roger Federer. To consummate the baton, Nadal chained 32 consecutive wins between May and July 2008, including the achievement of the Hamburg titles (Ground), Roland Garros (land) [photos], Queen's (grass), Wimbledon (grass) [photos ] And Canada (hard), five trophies on three different surfaces-in addition to achieving the semifinals in Cincinnati (hard).

There, exhausted, ceded to Novak Djokovic. He left to compete for 10 days, just time to go home, take oxygen and leaving the sauna in Beijing, where he joined six other triumphs. His victory in the Olympic Games, on the same course that has held its fourth his first Roland Garros and Wimbledon, spoke of the category, not only of tennis, but the youngest athlete in history to receive the Prince of Asturias, the tenth Spanish in 22 editions and the first male tennis player after the awards granted to Martina Navratilova, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and Steffi Graf.

Nadal will wear gala next October at the Teatro Campoamor Oviedo, to receive the award from the hands of Don Felipe de Borbon. In the category of Sports Prince of Asturias Award is given since 1987 and has a distinguished career in the world of sport stars as Carl Lewis, Michael Schumacher, Lance Armstrong, the Brazilian team football, or Sergei Bubka, among others.

The de los Deportes will be the seventh of eight international awards that convenes annually by the Prince of Asturias Foundation, which this year reaches its XXVIII edition. The jury, chaired since its first edition by Juan Antonio Samaranch was composed of: Rogelio Blanco, Jose Maria Casanovas, Enrique Castro, Maria Escario, Porrón Misael Fernandez, Antonio Galeano, Julian Garcia Candau, Eduardo Inda, Luis Infante, Maria del Carmen Izquierdo, Jaime Lissavetzky, Javier Munoz, Santiago Nolla, Jose Ramon Pinder, Matias Prats, Nemesio Rodriguez, Arancha Sanchez Vicario, Jose Javier Santos, Alejandro Sopeña, Javier Tola, Jose Luis Vilaseca, Emma Villacieros, Yeregui and Juan Ignacio Martinez.