Rafael Nadal: The beginning, or the end?

Nadal reacts during his match against Lukas Rosol at Wimbledoon, 2012.

I have been a Rafael Nadal fan ever since he announced his arrival to the international scene by toppling Andy Roddick and helping Spain win the 2004 Davis Cup title. As a kid, Nadal was pure inspiration to me. The heavy ‘top-spin laced forehand’ was my favourite shot, the ‘kapris’ my favourite attire, and the ‘fist-pump’ celebration always had my adrenaline pumping. The fact that there was a guy who could stand up to the mighty Roger Federer and get the better of him at his prime only added to the reasons for my admiration of the Spaniard.

Rafael Nadal does not possess a service return as punishing as that of Andre Agassi, nor does he have a forehand as perfect as that of Roger Federer, but what he does have is mental toughness. Nadal banks on his psychological prowess to dismantle opponents. He is the type of player who you don’t want to look in the eye during the course of a match, because the look he offers is that of a warrior ready to challenge the limits, to go through a brick wall if he has to, in order to win a point. There is no ball he can’t reach, no shot he can’t better and no mountain he won’t climb, to win a match. Watching him play, you realize that every point is essentially a matter of life and death to him, and he is willing to push the limit.

All of this eventually boils down to one thing – physical fitness. You are mentally strong and focussed if you are physically strong. Nadal is without doubt one of the strongest players you will come across on the tour. He might be injured or playing through excruciating pain, but that does not stop him from running his socks off on the court and making you wonder what it would take to stop this guy.

“The only way of finding a solution is to fight back, to move, to run, and to control that pressure.”

PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 11: Rafael Nadal of Spain poses with the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy in the men’s singles final against Novak Djokovic of Serbia during day 16 of the French Open at Roland Garros on June 11, 2012 in Paris, France.

He however, like all of us, is human. There is a limit to which you can push your body, because after that it breaks, and that was exactly what happened to Rafael Nadal last year. He began the year not in the best of shape, and lost the Australian Open final to Novak Djokovic, who continued to get the better of him during the US hard-court season and the clay court season which prevailed. Nadal however, won when it mattered the most, beating his nemesis in the French Open final amidst severe pain in his knees and some in his right ankle as well. He had won a record seven French Open titles now, overtaking the great Swede Bjorn Borg, and now looked forward to the grass-court season with optimism.

That however, was when the bubble burst. In what is considered one of the greatest upsets in Wimbledon history, Nadal lost in the second round to a certain Lukas Rosol, ranked 100^th in the world then, and after the highs of Roland Garros a mere fortnight ago, came crushing down to mother Earth.

That was that. He needed to get his knee operated and subsequently announced the same, all but ruling him out for the calendar year. A stomach bug prevented him from making a much-anticipated comeback at the Australian Open, and when he finally took to the courts in the not so famous Vina Del Mar Open in Chile, he had the attention of the tennis world upon himself. The media was ablaze with questions over whether he could regain his prior form.

Will he be a different player now? Is the best of Nadal a thing of the past? I was a little irritated with the stupid chatter, and eagerly awaited watching my hero play again. Now, the VTR Open did not boast a star-studded line up, and as Rafa cruised through the initial rounds and easily made his way to the finals, he met a certain Argentine going by the name of Horacio Zeballos, and lost to him.

It was a tough loss to take for us enthusiasts, but what was particularly worrying was the manner of it. Nadal, for most parts of the match, was holding himself back, not really making an effort to chase those impossible balls he so wonderfully does. Agreed, it takes time to get back into the thick of things after such a lengthy layoff, but what is not acceptable is a guy of Rafa’s degree takings things easy and letting points go. Watching him win the Sao Paulo Open had a lot of pundits suggesting that he is well on his way to the top again. I, for one, certainly don’t see it happening as much as I like or want it to.

Nadal was not at all convincing in his win against Nalbandian, a former top ten player himself. Although the stats suggest that it was a routine win for Nadal, it was anything but that. His baseline strokes were nowhere as menacing as they used to be, and in fact, it was the unfancied Nalbandian who was dictating the rallies but not getting the end result right. The serve seemed to have lost its sting, and it Nadal wasn’t using to his advantage during the match. Nadal even seemed to be questioning his shot selection on more than one occasion. What helped his cause was an erratic and error-prone performance from Nalbandian. Nadal’s net-play, however, seemed improved, and he hit some beautiful winners that had David rooted to his spot.

Will they hold up?

When you support a person for as long a time as I have, you develop a kind of bonding, wherein you know how he/she will play before a big match, how he will react to a situation, or what it is that he needs to avoid doing in order to win. Watching him play over these two tournaments, I am not at all convinced about his game, and feel that he might have hurried his comeback. The fire in him seems to be missing, and so is the zeal to win. There are a lot of aspects to his game which need looking into, and not a lot of time to do it. Also, his strategy for his title defence at the French Open seems a little unclear at the moment.

Nadal’s next stop is the Acapulco Open in Mexico, the famous hunting ground of fellow-Spaniard and World No. 4 David Ferrer, who, if they meet, would provide a proper acid-test of his recovery so far. A beating, which I fear is on the cards, might prove to be detrimental for his morale at this point in time. I really don’t see this as the start of something new (although deep down inside, I am hoping it will be).

“Losing is not my enemy. Fear of losing is my enemy,” is a quote of Nadal’s that has always helped me in tough situations, and over the years he has been a fine advertisement of the quote, winning memorable matches against more favoured opponents. The heart wants me to keep my schedule free for May, and watch him waltz through to yet another victory in Paris. The mind however tells me that it is time to start watching his most memorable matches on YouTube.

“Ronaldo (Brazilian footballing great) is an example to a lot of people because of all that he was able to achieve despite what he had to go through, with all the knee problems in his career.”

– Nadal, before the Sao Paulo Open in Brazil