Zero ...

"The French can hope all their lives. The possibility of a positive result from Rafael is zero" - Toni Nadal

I mean, there's nothing more to say on the subject really, is there? But me being me, well ... of course I have a thousand words to say. You do think hard about whether or not to really give a subject any more air by discussing it yourself - and what, of course, I'm talking about is that "spoof" video that was aired to the French nation by the channel Canal+ which of course has now found its way all around the world. In summary, they chose to mock the banning of the Spanish cyclist - Albert Contador - for drugs use not by using a caricature of him in some so-called comedy mock up. No, instead they used one of RAFA peeing in the petrol tank of a car, and after it had received Rafa's "juice", it was able to move at hundreds of miles an hour.

Sickening.

And the video ended with various logos of Spanish sports associations accompanied by the words ...

"Spanish Athletes. They don't win by chance."

Oh how I laughed. Not.

The Spanish Tennis Association - RFET - were quite quick off the mark and have formally sued Canal+ and have been public with their letter condemning the insinuations and the illegal use of their logo and acronym with what the video associated them with. Legally, that's more than likely the only claim RFET will win against Canal+ ... but the mud they have once again slung will be un-punishable. To their credit, RFET will make statements this Saturday on the matter, and are encouraging all those other sports associations to sue likewise.

I've not yet been able to read any translations of the interview Toni has given to Marca, and my first thoughts on the matter this morning were that silence from Team Nadal is perhaps the best option. But if you are wronged, why not reply? I mean, they're condemned if they don't say anything like its an admission guilt, and yet they are also condemned if they do by the same quarters. *shrug* I may or may not expand on Toni's thoughts further in a future post ... we shall see.

But to be honest, what I really feel about it all is sad. Yes, sad. You see, we have in our midst a very special player. Someone who John McEnroe says is an honour to be mentioned in the same sentence as him. Someone who is as unique in style and texture as ... well, our old friend Roger Federer. Roger's physique, so fine tuned and injury free and his style of play is lauded ... Rafa's physique on the other hand, cannot be allowed to be above anything other than suspicion, and his style of play (for some) would have him stripped from the annals of tennis. I feel sad because Rafa brought something compelling and new to the game, and it gave him success. And whilst it was once easy to discount him as nothing more than one of those pesky clay courters that spoils the [Federer] party and pops up in April for the clay court season, well ... he proved the tennis world wrong, didn’t he?

Because he worked. Hard. And it took him some time, but slowly and gradually he improved his game and he found a way to win on the grass courts and then on his old foe, the hardcourts themselves. But as the Slams racked up and the Masters with them and the Number 1 spot came his way, could the media at large allow him to enjoy it? Well no, because his success meant that it came at the failure of another and with every Slam that fell through Federer’s grasp, Rafa was depriving L'Empereur of achieving his Holy Grail. And it made me sad. Sad for Rafa that he seemed unable to be allowed to celebrate his success in the appropriate way because after he tonked Federer in the French Open final, then Wimbledon, then Australian Open, well ... it was killing someone, wasn’t it?

Fate played its hand and Rafa’s injuries meant that Federer did indeed, achieve that Holy Grail, but once Rafa’s horrible 2009 was out of the way, he showed once again what hard work and application could achieve with his stellar 2010. Clay, grass and even the US hardcourt Slam all won, entry into the history books as the youngest ever career Slam winner and holder of the most Masters Series titles in tennis records. Yet all the while its always there, isn’t it? The slurs, the undercurrents, the accusations, the fanciful theories, that Rafa’s amazing success is achieved through foul means of steroids and performance enhancing drugs. And why? Because some spurious Spanish Doctor back in 2006 bleated why focus his misdemeanours solely on cycling and not also tennis and football, and then a French magazine article named Rafa based on Spanish “sources” that he was a client, but because Rafa never sued over it, that finds him guilty. Was there no testing of Rafa then in 2006? Why is it that then and now he has never failed a test or been charged or suspended in any way? Could it be that there is not one single shred of evidence to bring against him?

But that’s by the by. 2011 saw Rafa reach all those finals, but pitched him against someone in the form of his life. Rafa’s had to take some difficult losses, he’s been asked questions of himself like never before, his once fail safe game plans and formulas just weren’t cutting it. But rather than licking his wounds or just resting back on his laurels, 2012 has seen Rafa come out fighting. He’s made racquet adjustments, he’s trying to hone different things in his game, and he’s now preparing to face that next challenge in his career which is finding a way against his new, closest rival. And what we saw in the Australian Open final showed a man who hit that wall once again, but faced his demons and came ever so close to a final victory. But not quite. Rafa had always planned on taking February to keep on working and practising, and the manner in which he took the AO final defeat and the positive outlook and things he took from that match have been a source of optimism this past week.

But now this.

And that’s why I’m sad. Its enough for the media in some quarters to keep on repeating what Djokovic is supposedly taking away from him. Rafa’s fantastic success is already earned, its not being taken away by him or anyone. And credit to the guy that he is still working hard to try and find success once again. And its like whatever Rafa does to raise his game and his spirit, there’s always someone there waiting around the corner to discredit him and all he might have achieved in the game. But it pleases me to hear that the French can spend their whole lives trying to label Rafa a drugs cheat, because that will never happen. But is such a shame that this will never go away whilst Rafa is playing because they just-won’t-let-it.

Keep your own counsel though, Rafa. And the best way to deal with it? Just you make sure that the French have to sit there whilst the Spanish national anthem is what they listen to on finals day at Roland Garros whilst watching the Spanish flag being hoisted on high. Do that over and over again as long as it is physically possible for you, Rafa. Vamos!