My facebook status announced him a winner a day before the finals of Australian open 2012. It was a tensed moment to see my super hero of tennis fighting out in semifinals with the favorite of the season – Roger Federer. That’s who Nadal is. The one thing that differentiates him among the rest is, his strong mental ability to just not give up. Nadal did beat Roger Federer and made it to finals with Djokovic.
I don’t remember when I started following Nadal's game. It must be one of those matches in which he lost to Federer. In 2005 it was Federer the winner and there was nobody to challenge him. From somewhere Nadal appears and gives him a tough fight which was soothing eyes. True sports should always be about fighting or the clash of titans than one sided match. Nadal started giving those moments to Federer but they did it with class. Then the era of Nadal started for me. He started dominating in clay while Federer in grass. It used to be a treat to watch them in particular because Nadal was so strong both physically and mentally.
The time was set right for the final match of Australian open. By the time I started watching, Nadal had won the first set in a tie breaker. I often fail to understand, why he should take the set to such a tensed moment. Nadal performs best when under pressure is well known but why should it be so, always. The 2nd and 3rd set was conquered by Djokovic. Djokovic was doing what Nadal did to Federer. It looked all right for a common person like me that both were playing technically correct and right match. It was as if one minor mistake of each other was the only way they could score a point. Djokovic winning 2nd and 3rd set wasn’t a treat for my eyes. Nadal, being Nadal bounced back in the 4th set both mentally and physically. By then, they had clocked close to 2.5 hours and the 4th set was a treat to watch. Each and every point Nadal scored spoke about his determination, confidence and persistence to just prove himself he is made to be there.
Not sure how Nadal must have felt beating Federer in semifinals to reach finals with Djokovic but that proves to say he is a fighter. Tennis is a lot more a mental game than a physical game when it is Nadal. The 4th set did go to tie breaker and Nadal proved himself right by winning that set under a lot of pressure. That’s when I thought Djokovic was giving up. In between it started raining and both the players got few moments of rest – the most needed. They both bounced back to fight it out. Nadal almost took the match to his side in the 5th set. Each and every point counted. A wrong serve meant a lot to Nadal. For the first time Nadal’s first serve did not support him as much. Undeterred by who was playing the other side, Nadal kept his cool and played his best. All through, he was playing just for that one goal, his one vision and another win just there. That dream eluded him as the 5th set progressed. I did not see it coming either. Knowing Nadal, it was now about some magic and Nadal lifting the cup. The destiny had different plans. After an epic 5 hours 53 minutes that spanned 2 days (Sunday night and Monday morning), Nadal lost to Djokovic leaving many disappointed but stood tall for the tough fight he gave the other player. I can’t stop thinking what a warrior he is to fight it out even till the nth second. He is a winner, in a different sense.
I don’t remember when I started following Nadal's game. It must be one of those matches in which he lost to Federer. In 2005 it was Federer the winner and there was nobody to challenge him. From somewhere Nadal appears and gives him a tough fight which was soothing eyes. True sports should always be about fighting or the clash of titans than one sided match. Nadal started giving those moments to Federer but they did it with class. Then the era of Nadal started for me. He started dominating in clay while Federer in grass. It used to be a treat to watch them in particular because Nadal was so strong both physically and mentally.
The time was set right for the final match of Australian open. By the time I started watching, Nadal had won the first set in a tie breaker. I often fail to understand, why he should take the set to such a tensed moment. Nadal performs best when under pressure is well known but why should it be so, always. The 2nd and 3rd set was conquered by Djokovic. Djokovic was doing what Nadal did to Federer. It looked all right for a common person like me that both were playing technically correct and right match. It was as if one minor mistake of each other was the only way they could score a point. Djokovic winning 2nd and 3rd set wasn’t a treat for my eyes. Nadal, being Nadal bounced back in the 4th set both mentally and physically. By then, they had clocked close to 2.5 hours and the 4th set was a treat to watch. Each and every point Nadal scored spoke about his determination, confidence and persistence to just prove himself he is made to be there.
3 comments:
Clearly see where you support, the same could be said for a Fedrer or a Djoko or for that matter the top half of the draw across eras...not to rob anything from rafa.....Moot point our stated strengths and greatness of a sports person is so driven by our perception of them and our emotional connect with our heroes.....
Wow ! Am touched by your passion towards the man. Am awed by your description !!
Pls share a few learnings to apply !!
He is the champion :) of all times :) I am a die hard tennis fan, been watching tennis from the times of Stefan Edberg,Jana Navotna ..have seen Monica Seles stabbed, Pete Sampras cry,Steffi win...but Rafa is my all time favourite :) ( Not to forget that evil look and biceps )....
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