Rafael Nadal opted to carry the flag of Spain in London Olympics – Tennis Special
Former world number one, Rafael Nadal, is the chosen candidate to carry the flag of Spain at the London Olympics, later this year. It is such an honour for the tennis legend to lead his countrymen in the field of Wimbledon during
the opening ceremony of the Olympics Games 2012.
Nadal is also the defending champion for the gold medal that he won four years ago in Beijing, China. He ousted the Chilean superstar, Fernando Gonzalez, in the grand finale of the tournament to earn the gold medal for his country.
With the win in the US Open 2010, he completed the tally of titles; career Slam and Olympics gold medal. There is hardly anyone in the open era to have achieved such an amazing level of success in their professional career but there is no doubt that the Spanish
number one deserves all the acclaim and success he has earned so far.
Oh wait, another legendary tennis icon from America, Andre Agassi, has also achieved that landmark of winning all four Grand Slams along with a gold medal in Olympics. Only two players in the history have been able to achieve that
milestone; not even the Swiss Maestro, Roger Federer.
Recently, the 26-year-old Spaniard won the Roland Garros French Open Championship for the record seventh time in the history of the open era. No one ever has won the clay court Grand Slam title this many times. He has retained
that title on for three straight years and won it on seven occurrences since 2005 with an emphatic record of 52-1. The rare loss came in 2009 when he lost to Robin Soderling in the fourth round. Apart from that, he has not been beaten on the red clay surface
of Paris, France for the past eight years.
Earlier in June, the reigning world number one, Novak Djokovic, was opted to carry the flag of Serbia in London Olympics this year. So, it was obvious that his arch rival would be given an opportunity to have yet another face-off
at the opening ceremony of the tournament. Both these players contested in the semi-finals of the previous edition of Olympics, contested in Beijing. The Spaniard won that match but could edge past the Serb after a gruelling three-setter. Djokovic, later on,
defeated James Blake to earn the bronze medal.
If Nadal is able to put his hands on the Olympics gold medal this year. He will become the only player in the history of sport (men or women) to clinch the Olympic gold on two different occurrences in singles. It will be a massive
achievement for someone who has already achieved far more than he could ever expect from his sporting career. His coach c*m uncle, Toni Nadal, is convinced that his boy will retain the title in London. I would like to see the Spaniard reigning supreme over
everyone in the field of Wimbledon and lift the Olympics title for the second time in a row. Vamos Rafa!
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial
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