Vamos Rafa
Rajat Subhra Chatterjee
0024
Some would say – he lacks the grace of Roger Federer. Some would be critical that he does not have the finesse of Novak Djokovic. Some say Nadal is too much machine like – all power, strength and no silken touch. Rubbish. What all would though agree that Rafael Nadal is indestructible. Even if he is being destroyed, he still can not be defeated. Else, how can it be explained when his vanquished at the AO22 final, Daniel Medvedev, after conceding the last point, came to the net to shake hands with him and whispered –“ Don’t you get tired ? Are you tired now? ” Nadal responded with a wry smile and patted Medvedev, 11 years junior to him. No, no way to demean Medvedev. He was great. Unruffled Medvedev is the future champion. He, as ill luck would have it, was faced by a Genius called Rafael Nadal.
Tennis world had seen 4-5 hours marathon Grand Slams matches aplenty. During last decade or so, many such matches have been witnessed specially when these big three are in the clash of classics. AO22 final was one such classic which will not erase from memory for a long time. In 2012 itself Nadal was beaten by Djokovic in 5 hours 53 minutes in the Australian Open. AO22 final was of 5 hours 24 minutes. And why this was special ? Because, Nadal had a surgery in the leg last September. Then he got covid + in December. He became very weak. And he was down two sets as the young feet of Medvedev had by then almost swept the 36 years plus off his feet. Well then the additional pressure and lure of 21st Grand Slams! It was a terrific situation. But a champion can not be written off that easily. World sport has seen these many times. AO22 Final was yet another addition. When every one had taken it for Medvedev and hardly any chance was given to Nadal, then what has been witnessed will remain a folklore and readable as fables. This final may rest as one of the best ever witnessed in the history of Tennis. Unbelievable, Unthinkable, Unfathomable ! These will also sound cliché’ for this epic comeback from the point of no return. That was Rafael Nadal.
Every sport has its Heroes and favourites. Huge fan following makes these Heroes very special. You can not love a sport unless you support one of the contestants. From the time of Pancho Ganjalves, Ashley Cooper, Pancho Segura, Alex Olmedo, Ken Rosewall, Neil Fraser, Rod Lever, Roy Emerson, John Newcombe, Stan Smith, Fred Stolle in fifties and sixties to Borg, McEnroe, Connors, Arthur Ashe in seventies to Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, Stephan Edberg in eighties and nineties down to the new millennium when these three super sportsmen started dominating Tennis world, it has been a fascinating journey for them – a fabulous enjoyment for us.
Whether you like Rafa or not, you can not ignore him. The final was of 5 hours 24 minutes. But before that, in this AO22, Nadal had spent more than 17 hours in the court in the earlier rounds! Nadal first own the French Open in 2005 and Australian Open in 2009 and in 2022, he just won Australian Open again. If some one performs and achieves at the highest platform where others fail to show, then he has to be a Genius. And if that Genius repeats the same year after year, he has to be a Legend. Rafael Nadal is a Legend that Tennis history will remember along with the others, named here in this column.
Not only in the field of game. Even, you can not win in your daily life’s struggle every now and then. It requires sustained, skillful and honest endeavour. But when everything is against you, when the two years spanned pandemic has crippled the entire world, mentally and physically, it was a dire situation from which Nadal’s victory in AO22 Final has been like a Phoenix bird. He himself has uttered his doubt if he would be able to play Tennis again as he was under severe duress last one and half years. But at the end, when he lifted the Trophy, it was not a mere win on the sky blue court of AO22, it has been a win against the Pandemic and has relieved many minds. It has been a belief of not surrendering. It has been the mental toughness of living alive. It has been the will to dream and let others dream as well.
Featured Image : From TV
