Fedal: The undying love story of tennis
Early days
To be a fan, akin to a lot of other things in life is rarely a conscious choice we make. It’s mostly in the inexplicable magic of a moment that our devotion is born and then goes on to be nurtured and further strengthened.
That moment for me came back in the January of 2005 when a Swiss man from the world of tennis at the peak of his game (a fact that I came to know only later) was sparring against another mercurial Russian on arguably the best day of his career. The venue was the Rod Laver arena under lights, long before the green gave way to the blue. It was not that I was a stranger to the sport. I had memories from a short stint in the late 90’s of two Americans going at it full throttle. But this was different.
I sat glued to the TV screen, as if hypnotized all through the four and a half hours of it. It was a five set epic which still remains one of the best tennis matches I’ve ever seen. But more importantly, it changed everything. The Swiss man was apparently the best tennis player around (although he lost that particular match) and it clearly figured why. His game was like a beautiful musical composition. One didn’t really have to understand it to appreciate it. It was art and it was effortless.
I remember thinking to myself at that moment- this man can never lose. I was proved very wrong, very quickly. At the French Open that year, Roger Federer, again the top seed in that major lost to a young Mallorcan named Rafael Nadal in four sets. Incidentally, Nadal had lost to the other finalist Lleyton Hewitt that same year at Melbourne, in another valiantly fought five setter. Nadal went on to win his first Roland Garros title and his first Grand Slam marking the dawn of a rivalry that can in hindsight, only mildly be classified as legendary.
The glorious years
Watching these two warriors fight over the champion’s prize became a regular event in the world of tennis. While Nadal continued his dominance on clay, Federer ascertained his mastery on grass and hard courts as far as majors were concerned. While fans engaged in not so friendly banter off court, these two continued to better each other’s games to a point where they shared amongst themselves all majors for a period of three years from 2005-2008.
Both of them fed off the nervous energy that surfaced every time they stepped on the court together. The way their games evolved with instances like Nadal trying and coming to the net more often cutting points short or Federer trying to be more aggressive from the baseline, set the bar pretty high for any young challengers vying to enter the fold. The period of dominance culminated into major feats for both athletes in the form of victory for Nadal over Federer at SW19 in 2008 and Federer completing his Career Slam by winning the French open crown in 2009. In the tennis world, till this time, there were just two Gods to choose from.
Twilight
In sport, unlike war you seldom die a nameless death. For beloved athletes who inspire awe and devotion from their fans, losing is not really an option. The flipside of being worshipped as Gods among men, men who rejoice in your victories and weep over your losses is the pain of disappointing them in spite of your best efforts; the pain of going through each of those losses in front of millions of expectant eyes and not being able to do anything about it.
I mean players do play for themselves really, because of their unyielding passion for the sport. But at the end of the day, it’s called spectator sport for a reason. And more so in this sport, because a tennis court can make you feel very lonely when you are losing.
‘Fedal’ as the rivalry is fondly referred to by fans all around the world has treated us to moments of inspiration both in forms of joy in their victories and crawling out of disappointment from defeats. It has fuelled many a heated debate among fans equals as rivals. And so it’s very hard to see the spark go, that unmistakeable sense of despair in the champion’s eyes no matter how much they try to hide it, but maybe at the same time it’s good to know they’re human too.
Although in wake of two crushing defeats at the French Open this year, the end seems all too near for the fabled rivalry, it is one that will hopefully transcend their tenure on court and spawn a legacy that will continue to inspire those involved with the sport for years to come. As for the disappointment of loss, let’s remember for now that as long as they are playing, tennis is winning.