Rafael Nadal: The game's toughest servant

Rafael Nadal

The largest island in the archipelago of Balearic Islands – Majorca – basks under glorious sunshine where school boys play the ‘beautiful game’ on the streets with great fervour, competing fiercely to prove their supremacy. In the early 90s, when the ‘La Roja’ were still massive underachievers in word football, each boy’s head was filled with hyperbolic dreams of donning the Spanish jersey one day.

Not every kid aged 12 can win the Spanish and European tennis titles and be their football team’s top scorer at the same time. But this preternatural athlete was obliged to give up one sport so as to kick-start his professional career in another. With a twinge in his heart, he pulled the plug on his ‘first love’ – football – and took a racquet in his hand to follow the footsteps of another Majorcan Carlos Moya.

If Rafael Nadal reminisces on this decision, one he took 16 years ago, he would be more than glad today. Not for the sheer brilliance that he has showcased over the years on a tennis court or for the colossal number of titles that he has won, but for the opportunity that tennis has given him to make his country proud. Take the case of Juan Mata, an ingenious midfielder who helped Chelsea win their maiden Champions league title two seasons ago, but a mere bench-warmer for his national side. It is highly inconceivable how a 12-year-old kid could demonstrate such pragmatic decisiveness.

The Dynamic Duo

Rafa’s rise to the pinnacle of his sport has been a compelling success story. But beneath the gloss of success lie years of tough training under a hardened coach and uncle – the one and only Toni Nadal. Endurance is a word that Toni has hammered into Nadal’s skull since his childhood. He preached the Spartan philosophy of life to his nephew, one that was uncommon to an island where the principles of pleasure reigned. He is the sculptor who has carved, moulded and shaped this masterpiece – ‘Rafael Nadal’, with diligent attention.

His uncle’s acrid remarks and brusque attitude at times disconcerted the teenager, but the results were hard to argue with. At 15, when ordinary boys try to comprehend the basic laws of physics, Rafa won his first ATP match against Ramon Delgado.

The Invisible Artist

The Spaniard’s meteoric rise at the professional level could be attributed to astonishing feats of endurance that he has showcased on almost all surfaces. His dominance on clay, his defensive style of play and his indefatigable energy have more often than not led to a misleading fixation with his physicality. Our human brain’s obsession with aesthetic beauty and grace has caused us to ignore the mastery the Majorcan possesses over a tennis court.

His unique ability to induce different spins with a tennis racquet has aided mortals like us to discover the profuse angles and dimensions that exist in a 78 × 36 ft (dimensions of a tennis court) rectangle. Watching the Spaniard play with unwavering attention and unremitting attitude as he suspends time, oblivious to the surroundings and the scoreboard, is like observing a painter sketch his masterpiece in an extraterrestrial planet.

The Enigmatic Brain

Rafa has had a propensity for lavishly praising his opponent, no matter what his stature is, before an encounter. Critics have condemned this as an act played by the Spaniard to be in everyone’s good books. But if one spends time reading his autobiography – ‘Rafa: My Story’, one would realize that the reason for his seemingly excessive humility lies in his enigmatic brain.

Thoughts such as ‘I am not as good as him’, ‘my serve is weaker than his’, ‘Can I match his ground strokes?’ often cross his mind before every match, no matter who the opponent is. It is more of a tussle between his sceptical mind and courageous heart, than his opponent. Quite startling, isn’t it? Some may even contemplate how a man with such quirky perceptiveness can win such a prodigious number of titles in the insanely competitive field of men’s tennis. But it is this school of thought which is the quintessence of his success. His ever-doubting brain creates obstacles and his heart wills to bleed his bones, to clear them.

Rivalry with Roger Federer

Nobody in the history of tennis has effortlessly managed to enslave fans like Roger Federer. “Roger is a magician,” said Russian tennis star Marat Safin. The Swiss maestro’s lissomness, delicate balance and kinaesthetic awareness have even left the opponents who came against him gawk in awe. Prior to the emergence of Rafa, Roger had an aura of invincibility and a worthy adversary was yet to emerge upon the scene.

Few rivalries in men’s tennis have taken stroke-making to such exalted levels as Rafa and Roger did at the Wimbledon final in 2008. Each game ebbed and flowed, with neither player willing to concede an inch, and the Wimbledon Centre Court was treated to an epic. After 4 hours and 48 minutes of enthralling tennis, the doughty fighter dethroned Federer, to be coronated as the new king of SW19.

The Nadal- Federer classics elevated the men’s game to lofty standards and the everlasting debate about who among them is the greatest should be put to rest. In this modern era of tennis, Roger has been the most admired and Nadal, the most loved.

Servant of the Game

‘Success means perseverance’ is a moral philosophy that Nadal has managed to enlighten us with. He had to deal with a dodgy pair of knees and heart-wrenching sabbaticals, which he did with indomitable courage and gritty resolve.

But one thing that really stands out is that he has been a hard servant of the game and he has never put himself above the game. In a sport where superstars are known for their on-court tantrums, he has maintained his composure on and off the court even when he is posed with inflammatory questions by the reporters.

Journalists may try to find expressions like ‘The Spanish conquistador’, ‘The Indefatigable Spaniard’ , ‘One man Spanish Armada’, etc. to describe him. But for tennis fanatics like me he, is like a Frank Sinatra who said “I did it my way”.