Rafael Nadal

Tennis champion Rafael Nadal was born on 3.6.1986 at 18.20 in Manacor, Spain. He's just turned 25, is currently playing in the major international tennis tournaments and could well be set to win Wimbledon for the second time this year - with his Age Point currently conjunct Jupiter there could be little to stop him!

Nadal's chart image (just look at the aspect structure) is reminiscent of a balancing act, a child's diabolo toy, and it also has the appearance of the trajectory of a ball bouncing across a tennis court, sometimes landing outside of the marked lines.

His overall chart shaping/motivation is a mixture of triangular and linear aspects, suggesting that he can be flexible but also divergent in his motivation and approach to life. There's the potential for a lot of fiery, Cardinal energy. He has an aspect colour balance of 5 red: 3 green: 5 blue, making him predominantly an active "doer". The drive and motivation to be active, assertive and lead the way is strong.

His aspect patterns (see "Aspect Pattern Astrology" by Bruno & Louise Huber, and "Aspect Patterns in Colour" by myself for more on these) are an Ear/Eye configuration which will give him a tremendous amount of sensitivity and the ability to play intuitively alongside his technical prowess. Saturn at the apex of this small but rather interesting and significant figure is opposite his Sun. With Saturn symbolising the drive for organisation and also signifying the physical body - very important in a sportsman - and the Sun the use of the mind, will and the decision-making processes, these two planets in opposition can work well together, utisilising the active red
energy held in tension between them as and when it is required.
The other complete aspect pattern, a Single Ambivalence figure, will keep him hard at work but will also offer the capacity to rest and escape pressures via the planet at the blue corner of this figure - in his chart this is Neptune. This could be the area of life he withdraws to when not playing tennis, although it can also be brought into play, feeding into the intuitive potential of the Ear/Eye, of which it is a part.

Of current interest and significance is Nadal's Age Point conjunct Jupiter, strongly placed in 5th House and suggesting wider horizons, expansion and the ability to draw on his own life experiences.

To find out more, see the Astrological Psychology Association website for books and courses on the Huber Method.