No tennis player has ever won 6 consecutive Men's Wimbledon title till date. Roger Federer's legacy, ambitions and form were soaring high in 2008 when he was aiming to become the first. Stood in his way was 22 year old Spaniard Rafael Nadal Parera. Nadal, coming to this event as the beaten finalist a year before faced a known foe. And so what transpired in 288 minutes, stormy London weather, and 5-set thriller was a legendary tale for the history to preserve. It was also a prologue to multiple gladiatorial contests which were to come in the Colosseum of modern day tennis.
To grow up watching Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer ('Fedal' as it came to be known later) battle out for the biggest trophies in tennis was beyond just a leisure. It was discovering the meaning in ironies of agility and patience, roughness and elegance, despair and smile, defeat and victory. The competitors against Nadal kept changing (cannot afford to miss Novak Djokovic and current crop of young players) but those meanings I kept rediscovering. My ever increasing admiration also grew stronger- some times in awe, other times in agony. It would be a sin to not acknowledge Rafa's rivals, particularly Federer and Djokovic, in him becoming a legend of the game and ultimately one of the finest athlete of any generation. And that is how one should always see their rivals- a force always propelling you to new heights just when you thought you've had enough.
Yet for Nadal his real battles have always been outside the courts- overcoming his injury-prone body. According to the Spaniard himself he "isn't a tennis player who gets injured all the time. Rather he is an injured person who happens to play tennis." Among several injuries throughout his career which forced him to pull out of at least a dozen Grand Slam tournaments, a rare chronic foot condition called 'Mueller-Weiss Syndrome' (a degenerative disease which cause pain on prolonged standing or running) stood as his biggest rival. But his grit and sustained hunger decorated him as a tennis legend which we know of today.
There are many other notable virtues of Nadal which counts for the admiration he has gained. One cannot afford to miss to mention his ritual as he sets himself on the baseline before a serve. Some may call it superstition, some just a product of muscle memory, while others may applaud it as seeking for perfection in every point which he plays. The way he lines himself on that baseline following exact sequence of tapping his shoes with his racquet, adjusting his bottom and t-shirt, tucking his hair behind his ears while wiping the sweat off his wristbands has now become a visual of great satisfaction. This he's been doing for his entire career without fail which tells us to take note of the value of repetition in our life's endeavours. Another great satisfaction or pure delight comes from his forehand shots. The way he buries the tennis ball on the far left/right corner of opponent's baseline with his left hand to claim a point is beyond just any skill. It is a reflection of immaculate judgement of everything from timing to measurement of court. It is like Tendulkar's cover drive and Messi's left-foot-top-corner-goal which manifests in jaw-drops even for the haters.
Nadal through these virtues has come a long way in not only winning prizes but also unparalleled love from every tennis fan. He made the spectators believe that any obstacle that ever exist is all in the mind. And that if you have true faith in the process, no mountain shall seem impossible to scale. Through his playing style he conveyed how to keep fighting for every single point till the end. Because that fighting spirit is driven with conviction that you deserve to win. And so when he hangs up his boots, when the dust settles, Nadal would be remembered not just for his 2008 Wimbledon heroics. He would be remembered as a storm from Mallorca which swept across the world ushering hope.
Awesome
Great !