Why Rafael Nadal, and not Roger Federer, should be a role model for children.
Rafael Nadal is the man of the moment. The 2010 French Open begins this Monday, but Nadal’s form has already created a buzz ahead of tennis’s premier event on clay. A flawless display at the Madrid Masters a week ago has the experts convinced that Nadal will complete the formalities at Roland Garros for his fifth French Open title. The injuries that plagued his progress in 2009 seem a thing of the past. But Nadal’s return to peak physical fitness means much more to the world of sport than just the opportunity of watching him go head-to-head against the great export of Swiss precision, Roger Federer.
Nadal is a great tennis player. But he is not a player of natural ability like Roger Federer. His game lacks the outrageousness or imaginativeness of Federer’s shotmaking. But, as sports writer Rohit Brijnath once wrote of Nadal, “What he lacks in skill, he makes up for with his will.” Through his stamina, something that he must have worked tirelessly on and which could easily shame marathon runner Haile Gebrselassie, Nadal has given fans their fair share of ‘unbelievable’.
And Nadal has constantly improved. With forearms that rival Evander Holyfield’s, Nadal has muscled his way into the men’s game and has stood like a rock between Federer and the Swiss’s quest for immortality. Where he was once the undisputed king of clay, Nadal has kicked on to conquer new surfaces. Nadal’s record of 14 wins to 7 defeats against Federer, which makes it two wins for Nadal every three times he plays Federer, has made the term ‘rivalry’ appear an euphemism for Nadal’s domination of the Swiss ace.
Nadal has worked on his game to such an extent that man-to-man, at peak fitness, if he and Federer are on opposing sides of the net, it would take a brave man to put his money on Federer, even if the surface is the hallowed grass of SW 19. This, more than anything, is a celebration of one man’s belief and endeavour to improve, even when faced with the odds of playing arguably the greatest tennis player of all time. In a sense, it is this journey, Nadal’s and not Federer’s, which should inspire children when they look for a role model.
And there is more to Nadal. In an era where another exceptional athlete, Tiger Woods, courted infamy on the sly, Nadal has been the model sportsman. He has been quick to put an arm around a vanquished opponent, even if that opponent has been Federer after the 2009 Australian Open Final. Even Federer, who is seen as the quintessential nice guy, has on occasion been accused of being self-indulgent. After winning Wimbledon 2009, for instance when he paid scant attention to Andy Roddick’s sweat-and-guts and immediately sought the comfort of his customised jacket which highlighted the number 15 — Federer’s record number of Grand Slam titles. Nadal, on the other hand, has always been circumspect on such occasions, and effusive in his praise of an opponent, as he was of Federer after winning the epic Wimbledon 2008 final. There has been no swearing at chair umpires when a call hasn’t gone his way, or breaking of racquets when the chips are down.
The coming two weeks are hard to predict for a sport known to be lay all that has been foretold. The surface may be to Nadal’s liking, he may remain injury-free and might have an easier draw than on any of the previous four occasions when he won at Roland Garros. And he may still not win. But, win or lose, Rafael Nadal will be in the running every time we remember the good about sport in our times.
(Akshay Manwani is a Mumbai-based freelance writer)