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Thank you, Rafa
He showed up with a bandana, a racquet and a dream, barely a man and someone whose age was very much in full display. But for Rafael Nadal, age had always been just a number. It never frayed him, it never mattered. Fifteen or 20, or even 35, Nadal gave every cent of his being when he stepped on the court.
He has always had a peculiar routine before his serve. Bounce the ball several times, tug his already locked hair behind his ears, fix his shorts, and rub his nose, followed by a loud grunt to compliment his serve. He held his racquet on his left, a particular Babolat that has been his weapon of destruction—the red and yellow of Spain and the bull as his logo.
For me, Rafael Nadal has always been the antagonist. But without him, there is only half the story. Yes, perhaps my protagonist would have won more but the victories would not have tasted as sweet. For me, he may have been an opponent, but for many, he has been an idol. And while I do not share their sentiments, I can acknowledge his greatness.
Nadal’s permanency in my life began in the 2010 US Open final when he defeated my protagonist, Novak Djokovic in four sets. At that time the duo faced 23 times, with Nadal beating Djokovic 16 to 7. It was his ninth grand slam title.
Nadal’s 2010 season ranks in the list of one of the best years of a Men’s singles player and rightly so. Three consecutive grand slam wins with the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open, along with four more titles in varying surfaces saw him push aside the clay court specialist tags. But then he faced a problem, and it was no longer the once unbeatable Roger Federer, whom Nadal confidently challenged, it was a third man infiltrating the duo, Novak Djokovic. The two battled out some of the best matches in the sport, including a body-shattering six-hour-long Australian Open final, the longest grand slam final ever played. If there is an example of strength, mentality and the unforgiveness element of tennis, then this match is that.
Nadal and Federer were the darlings of the tennis world, but the Djokovic-Nadal pair was the epitome of sheer grit, determination, belief and two people who frequently pushed the boundaries of fortitude. The matches were long, exhilarating, sometimes sluggish, but always fuelled with raw emotions. For two people who were once close to becoming rivals on the court had eventual repercussions on their friendship, but it made great television. The duo ended up playing a record-breaking 60 matches, with Djokovic slightly edging ahead of Nadal in the head-to-head count.
Nadal’s retirement was always looming. Despite dragging longer for two years than it should have been, it hit a lot more than I had anticipated. In hindsight, it changes the trajectory of tennis. Novak Djokovic “completed” tennis this summer and so, it is natural to wonder how much gas he has left in his tank at the age of 37. Djokovic even admitted that with Rafa and Murray now gone, a part of him has left with them, encapsulating what a big force each of them were on each other’s careers.
With Djokovic cementing his legacy and leading in almost every metric to measure greatness, you can question, what is Rafael Nadal’s legacy if it’s not the greatest? Some will tell you he is second fiddle to the greatest, some will argue he played the peak version of all his opponents, some will even put up his stat of never breaking a racquet into the mix. The most obvious and direct answer to what has been Nadal’s impact is Carlos Alcaraz. In every way, Rafael Nadal walked so Carlos Alcaraz can run and that is what Rafael Nadal walks out of the game with, by inspiring a generation of children to chase the dream.
Very few athletes leave a mark as permanent as the one Nadal leaves at Roland Garros. Pete Sampras won 14 grand slam titles in all of his career. Rafael Nadal won 14 grand slams in just one tournament. Starting from 2005, all the way to 2022, he picked up 22 slams along the way. To be 19 and to win a slam, to then come back and defend it for three years in a row is unconceivable, yet here was this young Spaniard doing just that.
As a rival’s fan, I could highlight his flaws, pick on things he had said that annoyed me, and talk about matches where he lost badly, yet, as he walks away, all I am left with are words of affirmations and admiration with a tinge of sadness that we may never see another fighter as great as Rafael Nadal in tennis.