RAFA
Disclaimer: I am not writing this post simply because I am a RAFA fan. I write this because I play, understand and love Lawn Tennis.
Rafael Nadal is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time; his success on clay has earned him the nickname "The King of Clay", and has prompted many experts to regard him as the greatest clay court player of all time. Nadal has won nine Grand Slam singles titles, the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles, a record 18 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, and also was part of the Spain Davis Cup team that won the finals in 2004, 2008 and 2009. He completed the career Grand Slam by winning the 2010 US Open, being the seventh player in history, and the youngest in the open era, to achieve it. He is the second male player to complete the Career Golden Slam (winner of the four grand slams and the Olympic Gold medal) after Andre Agassi. Nadal had a 32 match winning streak in 2008, starting at the 2008 Masters Series Hamburg to the 2008 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and Women's Open, which included titles at Hamburg, the French Open (where he did not drop a set), Queen's Club, his first ever title at Wimbledon, and the Rogers Cup.
- Wikipedia
Although these accolades celebrate Nadal’s successes, they do very little justice to all that the man has achieved and influenced in the game of tennis.
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Playing tennis is the only thing Nadal can do as a left-hander. He developed and mastered this technique on the insistence and guidance of his uncle and coach Tony Nadal. The advantage of this can be seen on the court – when Nadal hits those famous sharp-angled heavy-topspin shots into the backhands of his opponent.
Using high-speed digital cameras, the maximum rotations per minute on Nadal’s forehand have been recorded at a staggering 4900 – his average being a whooping 3300! To put this into perspective, Federer's average is 2700 and Sampras's was 1850. A forehand shot hit with such heavy topspin easily pushes the opponent into a vulnerable position far behind their baseline. In such a situation, the most probable and conventionally effective response would be hitting a drop-shot into Nadal’s court to give them sufficient time to get back to their court for a possible volley incase Nadal does reach the ball!
But Nadal more than just reaches the ball. From his own (typical) position of several meters behind the baseline, Nadal can and has run up to the net to return the drop-shot with a blistering pass-shot. It is a known fact, by every tennis follower, that there is almost no corner of his court that Nadal cannot reach. He has been acclaimed to be one of the best athletes of our time. With his seemingly endless supplies of stamina and strength, Nadal would’ve made a classic advertisement for Duracell! However his ceaseless efforts at the game do not come from bounties of physical fitness alone – grit and perseverance play huge roles.
Nadal continually alters his playing technique in order to maximize his potentials on different courts. From changes in the grip positions and racquet angles to footwork and his distance from the baseline, Nadal improvises throughout a match only with the sheer will of winning. His determination of perfecting technique along with his physiological achievements, has seen him master very court surface.
The Federer-Nadal rivalry became famous when the young Spaniard challenged and defeated the then supposed greatest player of all time. Federer is nearly unmatched when it comes to executing perfect tennis. However to claim Roger to be the greatest player of all time based on his 16 Grand Slam victories is absurd considering that he has more than often been unable to beat Nadal on all surfaces. The head-to-head between the two greats is almost biased with Nadal’s victories doubling those of Federer’s. Also, if one were to compare the number of titles won over the years required to do so, Nadal comes out as the winner. Federer had a career dream run during 2004-2007 when he was without a peer and the onslaught of Nadal 2007 onwards saw the great Federer’s rankings slide. For it wasn’t only Nadal who destroyed the myth of the Greatest Player of all time. Federer has faced successive defeats to a series of players in the last season. Nonetheless Federer’s game was a sheer pleasure to watch – his terrifyingly precise forehand being the highlight of his arsenal.
But even in his time, Roger never influenced the game in anyway. For instance, if one were to watch a Djokovic game intently, it can be observed how largely Nadal has affected his game. Novak is not an exception. Nadal’s speed in the game, footwork, baseline rallies and that famous (or rather infamous) racquet swing post-shot over his head - an action he developed to reduce his response time between shots, have intrinsically influenced the game of tennis. The primary reason Federer failed against Nadal time and again is because he was unable to change his technique to compete against Nadal. On the other hand, in Novak’s recent victories over Nadal one can distinctly see Djokovic altering his game to face Nadal. To defeat Nadal the opponent is forced to play Nadal’s game – something Federer could never do. To give him credit, Roger did try changing his technique and strategies but always fell short of victory against the Spaniard. Only because his textbook play is so deeply ingrained in him that he ended up playing only by his new strategies while Nadal had the potential to alter his game during a match to sustain his opponent to victory.
For all sportspersons, Rafael Nadal is an icon of athleticism, tact and determination - I believe this. Very few individuals have the capacity to pursue their dreams with sheer will like Nadal. I am a Rafa fan because of the Man he is.
Rafael Nadal is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time; his success on clay has earned him the nickname "The King of Clay", and has prompted many experts to regard him as the greatest clay court player of all time. Nadal has won nine Grand Slam singles titles, the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles, a record 18 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, and also was part of the Spain Davis Cup team that won the finals in 2004, 2008 and 2009. He completed the career Grand Slam by winning the 2010 US Open, being the seventh player in history, and the youngest in the open era, to achieve it. He is the second male player to complete the Career Golden Slam (winner of the four grand slams and the Olympic Gold medal) after Andre Agassi. Nadal had a 32 match winning streak in 2008, starting at the 2008 Masters Series Hamburg to the 2008 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and Women's Open, which included titles at Hamburg, the French Open (where he did not drop a set), Queen's Club, his first ever title at Wimbledon, and the Rogers Cup.
- Wikipedia
Although these accolades celebrate Nadal’s successes, they do very little justice to all that the man has achieved and influenced in the game of tennis.
~
Playing tennis is the only thing Nadal can do as a left-hander. He developed and mastered this technique on the insistence and guidance of his uncle and coach Tony Nadal. The advantage of this can be seen on the court – when Nadal hits those famous sharp-angled heavy-topspin shots into the backhands of his opponent.
Using high-speed digital cameras, the maximum rotations per minute on Nadal’s forehand have been recorded at a staggering 4900 – his average being a whooping 3300! To put this into perspective, Federer's average is 2700 and Sampras's was 1850. A forehand shot hit with such heavy topspin easily pushes the opponent into a vulnerable position far behind their baseline. In such a situation, the most probable and conventionally effective response would be hitting a drop-shot into Nadal’s court to give them sufficient time to get back to their court for a possible volley incase Nadal does reach the ball!
But Nadal more than just reaches the ball. From his own (typical) position of several meters behind the baseline, Nadal can and has run up to the net to return the drop-shot with a blistering pass-shot. It is a known fact, by every tennis follower, that there is almost no corner of his court that Nadal cannot reach. He has been acclaimed to be one of the best athletes of our time. With his seemingly endless supplies of stamina and strength, Nadal would’ve made a classic advertisement for Duracell! However his ceaseless efforts at the game do not come from bounties of physical fitness alone – grit and perseverance play huge roles.
Nadal continually alters his playing technique in order to maximize his potentials on different courts. From changes in the grip positions and racquet angles to footwork and his distance from the baseline, Nadal improvises throughout a match only with the sheer will of winning. His determination of perfecting technique along with his physiological achievements, has seen him master very court surface.
The Federer-Nadal rivalry became famous when the young Spaniard challenged and defeated the then supposed greatest player of all time. Federer is nearly unmatched when it comes to executing perfect tennis. However to claim Roger to be the greatest player of all time based on his 16 Grand Slam victories is absurd considering that he has more than often been unable to beat Nadal on all surfaces. The head-to-head between the two greats is almost biased with Nadal’s victories doubling those of Federer’s. Also, if one were to compare the number of titles won over the years required to do so, Nadal comes out as the winner. Federer had a career dream run during 2004-2007 when he was without a peer and the onslaught of Nadal 2007 onwards saw the great Federer’s rankings slide. For it wasn’t only Nadal who destroyed the myth of the Greatest Player of all time. Federer has faced successive defeats to a series of players in the last season. Nonetheless Federer’s game was a sheer pleasure to watch – his terrifyingly precise forehand being the highlight of his arsenal.
But even in his time, Roger never influenced the game in anyway. For instance, if one were to watch a Djokovic game intently, it can be observed how largely Nadal has affected his game. Novak is not an exception. Nadal’s speed in the game, footwork, baseline rallies and that famous (or rather infamous) racquet swing post-shot over his head - an action he developed to reduce his response time between shots, have intrinsically influenced the game of tennis. The primary reason Federer failed against Nadal time and again is because he was unable to change his technique to compete against Nadal. On the other hand, in Novak’s recent victories over Nadal one can distinctly see Djokovic altering his game to face Nadal. To defeat Nadal the opponent is forced to play Nadal’s game – something Federer could never do. To give him credit, Roger did try changing his technique and strategies but always fell short of victory against the Spaniard. Only because his textbook play is so deeply ingrained in him that he ended up playing only by his new strategies while Nadal had the potential to alter his game during a match to sustain his opponent to victory.
For all sportspersons, Rafael Nadal is an icon of athleticism, tact and determination - I believe this. Very few individuals have the capacity to pursue their dreams with sheer will like Nadal. I am a Rafa fan because of the Man he is.
Hey Shoan...Great post...Truly agree with what u have written.....Rafa shows determination in each point he plays...even if he ends up losing the point or losing the match....He makes the opponent earn a win....I am a huge fan of Rafa just for his strong fighting spirit....
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