Many of you must have read or heard about the incredible feat Rafa Nadal achieved by being the first man to reach 21 grand slams and how the world went crazy over the win. It was definitely one of the best moments in sport not because he achieved something that no man has before, but the way he did it.
Rafa has been one of the greatest inspirations since the day I started watching him play tennis. I was mesmerized by the way he chased the ball, reminds me of an over-enthusiastic dog (I mean it with great respect and love 😍) who just goes after every ball thrown to fetch, irrespective of how far and impossible it looks. The game changed overnight as what used to be winners before were being returned like a counter punch. In his early career, he never let the ball die on him. I could also relate to him as a person with a highly disproportionate physique (with the left arm twice the size of the right making him look like an alien at times), different looks when compared to the elegant FedX, shy by nature, and incredibly humble. Even though I'm not even 1% of his fitness, I do have a disproportionate arm 💪, never used to be elegant, and was a misfit at times. Of late, I have developed some bit of, as my friend calls it 'Humbility' 😆. The way he approached every game with the same intensity and treated the opponents with the same resilience irrespective of who they were was something to follow. He has grown thinner and meaner as his career progressed. Shows the time he is spending outside the court to be strong and relevant.
His dominance in the French Open has been incredible. I think he won 4 of those titles without losing a set in the entire tournament which shows how good he is on clay. I do not think anyone will come close to that level of dominance in a tournament ever.
Every time he was written off due to a serious injury or a great opponent, he came back stronger. It is his mental strength that does not allow him to give up and gets him to try even harder. His comebacks are like a fairytale and almost unbelievable. Not playing for 6 months, going through surgery, and to come back the way he did and win the final against one of the best players in super form and a decade younger after being 2 sets down is insane.
I have a confession to make here, I have stopped watching Rafa games for the last few yrs. I admire him so much, I cannot watch him go through these intense moments. It gives me heartburn and at times almost a heart attack. All I do is pray for him to do well and not let himself down (not win as he is beyond winning for me).
I did manage to watch the highlights yesterday and ended up feeling the heartache when he lost crucial games (breaking twice in 2nd set and losing it, losing the 6th serve game in the final set, etc). The way he played yesterday was incredible. Some of the points he won were unreal, those beautiful drop shots, killer forehands gave me goosebumps. Every shot he plays has 100% effort, there is no holding back, every ball gets the best possible return. Just to keep going at it in the face of adversity say a lot about him.
There could have been no better man to hold the record of highest grand slams as Rafa has shown he is worth it from the day he started. He is still the same over-enthusiastic dog who goes after every ball and I am sure he will continue to be so for the rest of his career. Records are there to be broken, who would have imagined in the 90's that someone will beat Sampras's record, and here we are with 3 of them overtaking him with ease. I'm sure someone will go past 21 slams and be called the GOAT. But what I can bet on is, there will never be a better competitor than Rafa. Not just in tennis but across other sports. My respect for him is up there with that of Dravid. Dravid might not be in the top 5 batsmen ever but he will always be the best ambassador for the game and a great role model. Most of his records are/will be broken except the most balls' face or time spent on the pitch. It showed his determination to put up a fight every ball.
Rafa and people like him will help me "not letting me let myself down". Rafa will end up inspiring me every time I fall down or think of giving up no matter how broken I might feel coz life is worth fighting for. As he said in the ceremony, he is not done yet, he is energetic enough to keep coming and trying to do well. Keep it going my friend, you are inspiring billions of people to not give up. There can be only few winners in real life and they keep changing, what matters is putting up a fight even if everything is against you.
I'm eagerly waiting for his book 'Rafa: My Story' to be delivered to get a better insight into his upbringing and what made him the greatest competitor of all time 😅
I have not mentioned Daniel Medvedev in this post on purpose. The kid deserves a separate one, he definitely moved me 👏
All I can say to Rafa is 'Thank You' for being the fighter you are 🙏
Update 7th Feb: looks like I have to wait for Rafa to win a few more grand slams before I get to read his biography. 4 months back the order got canceled and last week the wrong book was delivered 😡 Maybe ill wait for the updated biography with his next achievements 😜
Update in Mar 2022- I finally received the book and man what a read!!! Loved every aspect of it and his struggle. He is completely opposite to what he is on the court which makes it such a good read. His discipline, ethics and family bond is so inspiring. Vamos!!!
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