Thank you, Rafa!
Rafael Nadal
As the hysteria of Nadal’s 13th, and arguably his greatest Grand Slam win settles down, I couldn’t help but write this. Two days back, I watched Nadal roll around on the biggest tennis court in the world, crying like a baby.
Though people sort of saw this win coming (owing in no small part to his stunning hard court form), it still was thrilling, nail biting, awe inspiring and heart-warming at various stages of the match. For me, personally, it was as though one of my immediate family members had achieved something huge, something immensely satisfying.
I must admit that my following of Rafa started out of getting tired of Federer’s domination of the tennis world. I must also admit that I am a fan of “Fedal”, the term coined to refer to Roger and Rafa together.
But as much as I admired (I still do) Roger, it was frustrating to see that no one ever seemed to consistently challenge him. The greatest player in the history of the game needed a worthy challenger and he never got one. Until 2006.
On a bright Sunday afternoon, a kid with a sleeveless top, so unusual for Wimbledon, gave a glimpse of what the future held in a 4-set final against the Master himself. For a player who grew up playing on clay, it was not a mean feat. A year later, he would fall even more agonisingly short, losing in 5 sets. A year later, though, he was not to be denied.
I remember watching that match, holding my breath as that epic 4th set tiebreak threw up one twist after another. And as Nadal lost that 4th set after squandering two match points, like the commentators and probably a few millions of spectators, I knew that he had blown his chance. But Rafa then showed the world what he was made of.
There are so many wonderful articles on that match by so many better writers that writing anymore about it would be embarrassing myself. That day though, I was totally awestruck by the sheer resilience, perseverance and never-say-die attitude of the man. And if that wasn’t enough, the utterly modest and humble winning speech he came up with showed what a great champion he already was. All this, at the age of 22.
And who could forget that tender moment in 2009 when Rafa had his hand around the shoulders of Roger in Melbourne, assuring him that he was the greatest of all time and that he would go on to break Sampras’ record. I cannot think of any other player in any other sport who is as relentless and as ruthless an animal on court as Rafa, and can still be as humble and as gracious off it.
Needless to say, he became so much of an example and a role model to me that I started to read more and more about him. And the more I came to know, the more I marveled at the greatness of the man.
I have never seen someone so passionate about anything in life. Someone who constantly, genuinely strives harder to improve when they are so close to perfection. This is a guy who, aged 12, won an under-14 tournament with a broken finger. And this is the same guy who, now aged 27, said that he “enjoys” suffering to win matches.
Fifteen years, 13 Grand Slams and 47 other professional titles later, he still wants to suffer, still wants to win, still wants to chase lost causes, still wants to retrieve impossible balls, still wants to wield that Thor’s hammer of a forehand and more scarily, still wants and tries to improve.