Tennis’ greatest male players of all times: (Part Eight) Rafael Nadal – Tennis Special
We have explored the glorious past of the men’s tennis, reviewing a number of titans of the sport and refreshing their achievements as to pay tribute to them. The number of tennis tournaments played these days has made the professional
circuit much hectic for the players as it used to be a couple of decades back. While sustaining the high quality performance among the toughest rivals, a player needs to maintain his physical fitness throughout the season to be a successful tennis ace. Many
fall short of meeting either of the two requirements and hence, couldn’t make their name among the legends.
When it comes to super-human stamina and physical fitness, reaching a possible winner from one end of the court to the other end or when it comes to defy all the odds to hunt down the best rivals in the business, the name of a
Spaniard certainly comes into our mind. Yes, the crafty left-hander who has brought new dimensions to the sport and introduced an aggressive style of playing tennis. The one, who came up from nowhere and all of a sudden rose to the top of the tennis world
through his brilliance. The one who put breaks to the dominance of the Swiss Maestro, Roger Federer, and laid foundations to a new arch rivalry which proved to be one of the greatest and the bitterest of all times. We will review the legacy of the “King of
Clay” in this stop of the series.
Rafael Nadal – Spain
No tennis player from Spain has touched such heights as Rafael Nadal has gone to. The 26-year-old has stamped his authority over the sport with his formidable performances and mammoth records. His dominance over the red clay courts
had earned him the title of King of Clay and the Spanish number one certainly deserves it. With a record seven Roland Garros French Open titles in his bag, none other Nadal truly deserves to attain this title.
Currently holding the third spot in the South African Airways ATP World Rankings, Nadal is the only tennis icon after the legendary American, Andre Agassi, to complete his Career Golden Slam, a feat yet to be achieved by the Swiss
tennis legend, Federer. Nadal pocketed all the four Grand Slam titles and sealed the coveted Career Golden Slam by winning the Olympic gold medal in 2008 Beijing Games. He has 11 Grand Slam and 21 of the coveted ATP Masters Series trophies in his showcase.
Winner of 50 championship titles, Nadal’s performance on all types of surface and his mammoth achievements has made him into a legend never to be forgotten. However, his intense game play, which includes grinding his body to its
limits, has already started taking its toll out of him. The Spaniard is sustaining persistent injuries, especially to his knee, and it is the reason which caused him to miss out his gold medal defence at the London Olympics.
Critics say that Nadal’s belligerent style of playing might drain his physical fitness out of him in the next two years, leaving him worn out completely. Well, it is something I personally fear a lot of Nadal. However, let’s hope
that the Spaniard remains there on the top to strengthen his legacy as one of the Greatest of All Times player.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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