On a day where we were treated to a "Rafa" Facebook entry of an event that probably occurred three months ago and hence, we might have been better served with another ambiguous picture of Manacor Tennis Club, I'd like to bring you this link of a conference call held with ESPN's Darren Cahill and Chris Evert yesterday.
Darren and Chris spoke with the media about the up-coming Australian Open, and although I'm going to ruin the punch-line of the report by publishing Darren's comments here, can I just say that these words have resonated so much with me this evening and have served me better than some out-of-date Facebook entry.
Read them and VAMOS!!
Q. Darren, can you address the mysterious Rafa.DARREN CAHILL: You know what, for me I look at him and we never quite know the stuff that flows through the veins of champions. It’s a little bit different from us normal people. I feel like whilst there’s a big question mark about his game, I know he’s been out for seven or eight months now, this is a guy that you can just see it in his eyes when he steps onto a tennis court, you can see it when he’s put into a position when somebody is threatening him. The guy hates to lose.He won’t put himself back on a tennis court unless he’s ready to win. The guy will do everything he can to get back to where he was. If he does come back, he’s not coming back to be top 10 in the world, he’s not coming back for the money, he’s not coming back for anything but to win majors. When he does come back, and hopefully he will, he will be 100%. He will put himself into a position that he feels like physically he can compete with these best players in the world again.So that’s why I feel it was a little blessing in disguise, I know it’s not perfect for him, but blessing in disguise that maybe he’s not restarting his career in Australia because it’s a brutal thing for him to do on the hard courts. Looks like he’s going to play his first tournament in Acapulco, a clay court event, to ease his way back into the game.But make no mistake, if Rafa steps back onto the court, he’s stepping back onto the court to win tennis matches, simple as that.
Notwithstanding this, I would urge you to read the full interview anyway. I found it a truly fascinating, informative and great tennis piece about today's current players. Cahill also provides some really thoughtful comment about the infamous 25 second ruling ... so come on Fangirls!! Do yourselves proud and give it a read!! Hehe ... ;)
At long last, somebody prominent in the tennis world who recognises what we fans have always known anyway. Such a wonderful feeling to read something so positive after all the negative scornful rubbish offered by others (Bodo, Cronin et al).
ReplyDeleteWe (Rafans!) need encouraging articles like these to put up with the Rafa-drought! also, I think, If Rafa surfs the net, and finds articles like these, he will be more pumped and eager to continue his team's plan of Rafa 2.0
ReplyDeleteYes time and clay heal everything. And if this pause bears fruit in a record 8th RG, 3rd Wimbledon & a 2nd USO, we will be like: bad knees? what's that? :) It is exhausting to read other articles that are busy criticising his playing style and whether he will ever come back strong. The fact that he is such a homebody and rarely mingles with reporters, has him directly in their line of fire. NO article finishes without SHOCK LOSS to Lucas Rosol. Giving the Czech more credit then he deserves. These reporters/ media people cant stop contemplating his retirement and whether he will make it back on top. As for me, I think these reporters should take a hike, mind their own damn business, contemplate ruining their own lives for a change, & i wish that like the tv show Gossip Girl, there should be paps for the paps ( paparazzi), & see how it feels to be torn through day in & day out. Whether Rafa's knees are a 100% right now or not, whether he will ever be the Rafa that we know and love, are questions that will be best answered by when he comes back! Second-guessing one of the GOAT's is not our job, nor is it ,of the media. Fans love Rafa for his elemental appeal, down to earth demeanour, humility, hot bum & most importantly his game. Reporters have a livelihood to earn, which they do by shoving the camera into a person's personal space. Both the Fans and the reporters have not an inkling of what goes on in the mind of the athlete, the preparation, the sacrifices, the highs and lows of self-expectations. As a fan, it is my duty to boost the morale of Rafa, or any other athlete that I admire. Especially in lows like these awful 6 months. Every time I read something awful about him, whether articles or youtube video comments, it breaks my heart & i feel that : " if i feel like this how must Rafa feel?" Why are fans and media people so vile and frustrated, and how do they have so much time on their hands to actually log in to vent? Whether they like each other for real or not,players on the ATP are so respectful in their comments about each other, why can't the fans and media learn something from them? I am a proud Rafa fan, & I like Roger, Novak, and the Bryanbros. And to an extent after winning everybody's hearts at wimbledon with his crying, Andy Murray even. He totally deserved to win the USO!
Coming back to the topic of Rafa- if you have read his book, you know for a fact that he is the toughest guy on tour with a winner's mentality. The youngest player in the Open Era to complete a Career Golden Slam. He remarks himself that he has achieved more than he had ever hoped to. How many people in the real world, can genuinely say this about themselves? to achieve something beyond their expectations? And the best part is, that noone ( not even his knees ;) )can ever take that away from him. He is going down in history regardless. Novak & Andy have a bright future ahead of themselves, & even if they sail past Rafa and Roger as far as career titles are concerned, real tennis fans know that they can never be GOATs. that edge & magic are reserved for Rafa & Roger. There will never be another player like these two. Ever.Especially Rafa. & this discussion will be never-ending if we sit down to contemplate a what-if: what if Rafa's career was not criss-crossed with injuries every year? What if he was as blessed like Roger, health wise? Would Roger ever reach his 17 grand slams?There is no point crying over spilled milk or getting frustrated during wimbledon rain delays. To conclude this article I would just say: Tennis chose Roger. Rafa chose Tennis. There lies his little extra.That edge.
Take a good look people. There won't be another Rafael Nadal :)
Amen, well said!
DeleteVasudha,
DeleteFirstly, thanks for taking the time out to write your post and express your views. It's made very good reading.
I don't think that Rafa's PR team have covered themselves in glory during this time, but putting that aside for a minute, Rafa has been out of the game for 7 months now, and yet he still remains the most talked about individual in tennis. Look at the tennis forums out there - if there isn't a post about Rafa Nadal ... no-one's talking. Journalists have written endless copy, he's still the name on all the commentators lips, and yes frankly ... so much of it is supposition and garbage.
I've frankly been drained with it all, but I so much liked what Darren Cahill had to say because he is a genuine tennis man, has lived the game and coached the best. He doesn't dress up his thoughts about Rafa, and is the closest to perhaps giving a balanced opinion on what goes on inside the mind of a Champion - unlike that clown Bodo, for instance.
I also think that for us fans, if we think the past few months have been hard, then it's probably nothing compared to what is to come. Rafa will have every single aspect of himself as a player under scrutiny when he comes back. Is he as good? Is he as quick? Has he lost some pace? Has he lost his mental edge? Every second he takes between points and every defeat he may have will be picked over and pulled to pieces. I have never, ever known a player so under the spotlight and so quick to be torn to pieces in all the many years I've been watching the game.
That said, for me, there is still nothing like him on a tennis court and I miss that so much. The sound of his footwork on a grass practice court, the thwack of a ball as he hits that forehand, the sheer excitement as you think how on earth did he get to that ball. He's the greatest player I have ever had the privilege to see, and I just hope and pray we see that back in him once more.