In pursuit of the perfect ode, cobbling lines on a class act as the sun sets on it is to stare down the end of his whipping service. As one half of an era that chased greatness with panache and a liberal dose of humility, Rafael Nadal much like his friend Roger Federer blurred the line between a man and his records.
For three decades the game of tennis transcended from being a mere sport to one that showered brilliance, potent rivalry and dignity as though it was an unending season of fairy dust. Rafael Nadal once said, ‘I can lose, he can win, but I cannot give up,’ and as he retires his racquet after one last hurrah for Spain at the Davis Cup final this week — appropriately on home soil, he leaves behind much more than the nostalgia of ‘once upon a time.’
With scraggy long hair and a white hairband, Nadal announced his arrival on the court and in the public imagination. A 22-Grand Slam-winning career began when he turned professional at only 14. At barely 19 he was the French Open champion on debut.
23 wholesome years later, with a receding hairline but a smile still in place, he calls time out leaving the unimaginable statistics of 112 wins and just 4 losses at Roland Garros. On this slow, red surface, he won a record 14 French Open championships and fittingly, carried the Olympic flame at Paris.
Alluding to him merely as the ‘King of Clay’ would however be to leave a movie even before the interval, for Nadal took the end credits. He dusted off the clay to become a four-time U.S. Open champion and won Wimbledon and the Australian Open twice each, completing a career Grand Slam. The Spaniard also has two Olympic gold medals to round off the silverware.
Trophies, accolades, respect
More importantly, he is the consummate champion who has won trophies, accolades, and our respect, accomplishments he shares with Roger Federer. Novak Djokovic who rounds off the ‘big three’ of the generation struggles to be a people’s champion despite the all-time high list of grand slams.
Rafa’s legacy goes beyond the numbers game. In any case, he isn’t one for crunching them on his fingers. ‘If you don’t lose, you can’t enjoy victories. You have to accept both things,’ Nadal’s words are like a handy guidebook. Despite his restrictive English, each sentence is a casually strewn necklace of life lessons. But make no mistake on the court he was a warrior, slugging and grinding through every single point as though tennis’s mere existence depended on it.
The king of marathon matches gave no inch, chasing even the smallest point with his trademark grunt. It was not over till Rafa’s legs took a call. How else do you win your final grand slam 17 years after the memorable debut at Roland Garros? The player who turned up with painkiller injections, injuries and surgeries in the past two years never put his foot off the pedal till his body said enough. It has now.
Watching from the sidelines one last time we count the wins. Playing two decades professionally without breaking or flinging a racquet in anger must be special. For some top tennis players, this is almost a rite of passage. ‘When I was young my uncle said to me, if you throw your racquet I will stop coaching you.
Redefined tennis
If I make a bad shot, it is my fault — not the racquet’s.’ And so, he served, without frills and temperament, just a love fest between a Spaniard and his racquet. As he played, he arranged his bottles, in order, diagonally facing the court, a precision that was quintessentially Rafa but with a quirky ritualistic twist.
At the start of his career, there were few loyalists, a young kid seemingly with a swag came second to nice boy Federer. But it was only a matter of time, as effortlessly as his left-handed forehand, he pulled us to his side and then there were two making magic and elevating tennis to a thing of beauty.
‘What a career, Rafa! I always hoped this day would never come,’ Federer posted. ‘Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the game we love. It’s been an absolute honour!’ His and our honour.
Rafa was unrelenting and unforgiving, both to his body and opponents but his tough act on court hid the softest persona once he shook hands at the net. Federer and his close mate Rafa Nadal crying like babies when the latter retired in 2022 was a moment when it all came together.
The only other duo that come close are Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, fierce on-court rivals and fast friends off it. But these two, are special even when making gaffes while shooting advertisements together on a snow-clad mountain. They collectively redefined tennis as a gentleman’s game where they only had to answer to themselves. Now both are retired and we the fans, creatures of habit have to regroup.
Despite being one of the most phenomenal players to set foot on court his legacy is as simple as the man. ‘The glory is being happy,’ he once remarked.
As Rafael Nadal, 38, makes his last appearance as a professional tennis player the glory remains his, pleasure ours.
Gracias, Rafa.
