Rafael Nadal was back in action at the China Open today, where he dispatched World No. 22 Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-0, despite not having played a competitive match since his loss to young Australian Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon on 1st July. Three months off with a wrist injury and it's as if he's never been away. I listened to a Sky tennis commentator yesterday voice his doubts that Nadal would be able to beat Gasquet today - despite having never lost to the Frenchman - because, obviously, he would need time to recover from his lengthy lay-off. I laughed. After all, Rafael Nadal is the first tennis player in history - perhaps the first sportsman in history - who simply doesn't need to play himself back into form.
You see, other top players, like the super-patriotic Scotsman Andy Murray, need a hell of a lot of time to recover from injuries. After undergoing a back operation in September last year, Murray - the reigning Wimbledon champion - also had a three-month break before returning to competive tennis at the start of January. Since then, he's had a rough old time of it getting back up to speed. He hasn't manage to get past the quarter-finals in any of this year's majors, he only won his first tournament since his lay-off last week (and that was a 250-point tiddler), and has dropped to No.10 in the rankings. It's only now - a full twelve months after undergoing surgery - that he has begun to look anything like his old self. That's all perfectly normal.
As for the Argentinian Juan Martin del Porto, after a sensational win at the US Open against Roger Federer in 2009 and after climbing to No.4 in the rankings, a wrist injury forced him off the tour for nine months in 2010. He has only managed to reach the semi-final of one of the 12 grand slams he has competed in since then, and is currently off the tour with an injury to his other wrist. It seems unlikely he will ever regain the form he displayed five years' ago.
But none of these problems ever seem to beset the miraculous Nadal. For instance, after withdrawing from the tour for seven months with a knee problem, he immediately clicked straight back into gear and won a slew of titles, including two more grand slams. The Mirror described it as "the greatest comeback the game has ever seen". The paper went on: "Few top players have been able to recapture the form reminiscent of their past successes after such a prolonged hiatus and Nadal’s return to the very pinnacle of the men’s game will rest deep within the realms of tennis folklore for many a year to come." That it undoubtedly will.
Unbelievable. Absolutely, totally and completely abso-fucking-lutely unbelievable. And you know what? I wouldn't be surprised if the 28-year old serial comeback king isn't about to do it all over again. Which would have all the mainstream media commentators and the sport's various governing bodies trotting out the standard "what a warrior!" narrative - because, after all, Nadal is the go-to guy when it comes to putting bums on seats and setting those cash registers tinkling.
It would be nice to think that someone involved with tennis at the highest level will actually manage to grow a pair this year - but I'm not holding my breath. What I am going to do is switch off the TV and refuse to watch a single game of tennis until someone tells me that the "warrior" has finally run out of his seemingly endless supply of "miracles".
I like the suggestion that his apparent humility is not an affectation but a strategy. He is so mentally strong that he convinces himself, in the heat of matchplay, that he is not one of the greats - and this drives him on in the relentless way that has become familiar to those who have followed his career. In actual fact, save his extraordinary forehand, the rest of his game - his ability to strike the ball - is probably not top-drawer. What has made him a winner time after time is the unquenchable spirit and will-to-win, and a super-fit body to complete the job
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, there seems to be a rather large question-mark hanging over the methods used to attain that "super-fit body", and to heal it when it gets injured. I'm afraid warrior spirit and the will to win simply don't provide a sufficiently convincing explanation. The many doubters could all be wrong , of course - but I'm starting to doubt it.
DeleteAn astounding sportsman in all the ways that you describe. I just wish that I didn't have to watch him wrench his pants out of his arse crack during every 2 minute wait for him to serve.
ReplyDeleteAnd the OCD precise placement of his water bottles, the ritual he undertakes before each serve (ending in the inevitable bum-pick), the endless time-wasting - which is just a form of cheating, the horribly ugly playing style, the whining about there not being enough clay court tournaments (!), and... well, he's exactly not my favourite player.
DeleteAnd he doesn't make asinine comments about Scottish politics.
ReplyDeleteThat is definitely one thing in Nadal's favour. I loved the way Murray said he was "disappointed" at the way he had expressed his support for Scottish independence,as if someone else had been responsible for the tweet. I can only assume some PR creature came up with the wording of his pseudo-apology.
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