Rafael Nadal – Rafa’s will vs. his injuries!
This year surely belonged to Rafael Nadal; there is no doubt about that in our minds. The player finished the season with the Number One spot safely in his pocket, but the big question doing the rounds now is whether he can follow
it up or not. Many seem to doubt this.
While watching Nadal on the courts, one is reminded of Lleyton Hewitt when the latter was in his prime. The Australian tennis player’s game seemed to follow a pattern of one great year followed by a not so great one. Nadal’s game
seems to be following the same pattern and much of this has to do with way the game is played by the two. Like Lleyton, Rafa fights for every single point. His desire to win and passion for the game shines through every time he is on the court. However, the
amount of effort that the Spaniard puts into his game has been taking a toll on his body too.
It seems that Tendinitis has been winning over him more often than his opponents have. Only recently, Rafa has been having some shoulder trouble and before that his knee had been bothering him. Despite all this pain, the player
has pushed on and won three Grand Slam titles this year, but he cannot keep up his current pace forever. The tennis star seems to have realized this himself and has reduced his schedule for next season. The news would have certainly disappointed many fans,
but it is the right move for the player’s career.
Perhaps this is one of the main differences between Rafael Nadal and his archrival on the court, Roger Federer. Federer is very selective when it comes to picking tournaments to play and he has rarely been injured. This already
gives the Swiss a head start against Rafa. It also does not help the fact that Roger finished his season by beating Nadal at the World Tour Finals. It will only translate into more pressure on the Spaniard to perform and make him push himself harder.
Even though Nadal ended his season on a high, his future does not seem to be very clear. No one, not even Nadal, knows how bad his chronic knee problems are and how much time he has if he continues to play at his current pace.
In the past, we have seen the injury stopping him from defending his Wimbledon title in 2009 and forced him to withdraw from the Australian Open quarterfinal last year. He left the match, which he was playing against the Brit Andy
Murray, midway through the third set. Nadal’s position was already in jeopardy at this point and he was well on his way towards a defeat.
Imagine the amount of pain that the player, who is known to be one of the fiercest competitors on the courts, must have been in while giving up. Despite a number of amazing wins after this episode, his lame exit has left an ever-lasting
impression on the world and people seem to be sceptical about the future of his career.
Pete Sampras, one of the tennis greats of all time, seems to think that Rafael Nadal has the potential to beat Roger Federer’s record of 16 Grand Slam titles. However, for this to become a reality the Spaniard needs to stay healthy
and maintain a smart playing schedule. “If he’s smart with his schedule and the fact that he has so many at such a young age, he could very well do it,” Sampras said during a conference call for the BNP Paribas Showdown.
Sampras refers to Nadal as “a beast” on court and feels that he can achieve many more great things. However, the former number one also added that Nadal did not need to break the Grand Slam record in order to prove himself. “He’s
won all the majors, won the Olympics and has a winning record against Roger,”
Sampras said.
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