Jaume Munar has opened up on going through a “destructive” period after trying to become the next Rafael Nadal. The world No 80 also hails for Mallorca and was touted as a rising star when he first burst onto the scene. Now aged 26 and continuing his comeback from a hip injury, Munar said he had a new perspective.
Before Alcaraz burst onto the scene, Spanish tennis was hoping Munar could become the next big thing. The Santanyi native was part of the Next Gen Finals lineup in 2018, also upsetting countryman David Ferrer at the French Open that year. And he reached a career-high of No 52 back in 2019.
Hailing from Mallorca, Munar also trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor and looked to follow in Nadal’s footsteps. But the 26-year-old’s career didn’t take off like it did for other players his age, including Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev.
Things went from bad to worse when Munar started struggling with a right hip injury and needed stem cell treatment earlier this year. Now, the Spaniard is getting candid about the low moments of his career. “I am a person who in a certain way teaches his emotions,” he told Relevo.
“In good times they are very euphoric and in bad times, sometimes, not today, but years ago, I have been very destructive with myself and I have punished myself a lot.” Now ranked at No 80 in the world, Munar explained how he put extra pressure on himself as a youngster who tried to take the torch from Nadal.
He continued: “One is always in that split of giving a lot of weight to the bad and little weight to the good. For many years I have been in that position and reminding myself a lot where I could have done better and not giving as much credit or value to what I have done well.”
Munar is now trying to find a balance after confessing to spending too much time focusing on the negatives. And he no longer tries to emulate the likes of Nadal and Carlos Moya like he did as an 18-year-old, instead zeroing in on his own career.
“From humility, I have always said that I am much worse than them,” he added. “And today I have shown it. I follow my path, I try to do my own project and I think that I am on that path. Every time I am a better player regardless of everything that is happening, because experiences always add up.
“More than as a weight, I have had them as a reference. Luckily I have had a close relationship with both of them and continue to have it. And I use it more with a teaching than as a topic of personal weight or pressure. Yes, it is true that maybe at 17 or 18 your perspective is different and you face it a little more that way, but today I take it as something more educational than as a weight on the shoulders.”
