Tennis has a real gem in Rafael Nadal!

It is said that success must be judged by time, space and context because different eras witness several changes and that makes people act differently. Rafael Nadal has managed to withstand all this and continues to be in the hunt to reclaim the World No.1 ranking.

Many consider Nadal unfortunate to have made his professional tennis debut in an era of Roger Federer being in his prime. But this can be countered by the fact that Nadal is the only contemporary player to have a favourable head to head record against the Swiss legend. So much so that Federer famously said once that he wished he played left handed to defeat Rafa!
Nadal has as many critics as supporters, and that perhaps makes him the most polarizing figure in tennis today. He is criticized for suffering too many injuries, because of his game revolving on the baseline and running all across the court which does not go well with his physique. But the fact is that Nadal’s physical stamina is one of his biggest USPs and injuries are a part and parcel of the game, looking at the annual ATP calendar which seems to be getting more cramped up than ever. Plus, Nadal has admirably fought with injuries otherwise he would have retired from the game by now.

He is also blamed for being too aggressive and impatient on court. These may be the people who are comparing him with Federer, when they should not. Federer has his own class, elegance and poise in the way he plays and behaves. However, if Nadal plays like him, he would perhaps be nowhere right now. He believes in defeating the opponent by draining him out of energy and being on the attack to pressurize him in making unforced errors. Besides, Nadal is shrewd in knowing and reading his opponent’s game and as per the situation, deals with them.

The Spaniard is also still considered to be a clay court specialist, considering that he has won 8 of his 13 Grand Slam titles in Paris. But how many clay court specialists so far, have been able to adapt decently to other courts in the world? This is where Rafa is an exception. Agreed that his performances at Wimbledon have not been consistent enough, but he has won twice there having defeated Federer in one of the finals, who is a master of the grass court!

With his 2nd US Open win, Nadal has the capacity to dominate the sport like never before and break Federer’s record to become the greatest of all time, when he calls it a day for good.