Difficult 12 months…
That loss at the French Open was the beginning of a long period of rehabilitation and significantly, Nadal wasn’t winning any title on the circuit; that included his unsuccessful defence of the French Open, withdrawal from the Wimbledon Championships owing to his injury, his worst defeat ever in a Grand Slam that came at the hands of Juan Martin Del Potro at the US Open later and then another heart-breaking loss at the 2010 Australian Open, this time at the hands of Andy Murray. It truly was a difficult 12 month period for Rafa who had also lost his number 1 ranking after Federer regained his Wimbledon trophy that Nadal had so dramatically won in that epic-final in 2008; his rivalry with Roger Federer ensuring that the game of Tennis would be in the safe hands of two of the finest athletes and gentlemen of contemporary sport.
Rivalry with Roger…
But for this puzzle by the name of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer would have won a whole lot more than what he already has. Importantly he definitely wouldn’t have had to wait till 2009 to win the French Open. At a time when most players facing Federer apparently used to lose the match even before stepping onto the court, Nadal came as a refreshing change who cared little for reputation and let his racquet do all the talking on the court. From 2005 till that embarrassingly one-sided final in 2008 which Nadal won 6-1 6-3 6-0, the Spaniard had defeated Federer four times at the French Open. And as if to rub salt into his wounds, defeated him in the final of 2008 Wimbledon as well; that match lasted nearly five hours and almost everyone who watched that match, either on court or on television had no hesitation in calling it ‘the greatest match of all time’. Nadal’s dream run was not over yet as he won the Gold Medal at the Beijing Olympics a few months later and in the process also claimed the no. 1 ranking from Federer, a position the Swiss had held for a record 237 weeks on the trot. He failed to win the last Slam of the year, the US Open but he wasn’t done with Federer yet.
The man who made Roger cry…
The two met again at the final of the 2009 Australian Open and once again it was Rafa who defeated his great rival in a 5-set thriller. Only that this time around, Federer seemed to have been completely broken down, mentally as much as physically by the game of Rafael Nadal. The then 13-time Grand Slam champion wept in front of the Melbourne crowd and it seemed as if Nadal would continue to rule over Federer’s mind for the next many years. However, it doesn’t take time for fortunes to change in sport and as luck would have it, in the course of the next few months, Federer would go onto win both, the French and Wimbledon in the same year while Nadal was forced to bide his time and work on his fitness.
2010: Revival in fortunes…
Nadal’s fortunes seemed to have changed for the better as soon as he got back on clay as he finally brought an end to his title drought by winning at the 2010 Monte Carlo Masters, his 6th consecutive title there, making him the only man to do so. A changed schedule that would give him more ‘breathing space’ between tournaments meant that he was fresh enough to win the Rome and Madrid Masters as well and the season was finally capped off by the man re-gaining his French Open crown; ironically by beating Robin Soderling in the final. Quite stunningly, yet again he won the tournament without dropping a single set. By winning his 7th Grand Slam at Paris, he also reclaimed the number 1 ranking.
The future…
For a man who’s achieved so much at such a young age, he’s only turned 24 on June 3, 2010, sky seems to be the limit. But Nadal, more than anyone would know, that he still has to win a lot more consistently at the other majors for history to remember him as a truly multi-surface wonder. Challengers in the form of Andy Murray and Del Potro who don’t seem to be as affected by his game as does Federer, will not make things any easier for the Spanish sensation.
Tags: