I first saw Rafa play in person in Seoul in 2006. Wearing a headband, sleeveless shirt, and shortened capris pants, he played Roger Federer in a three-setter. I saw him again in person in 2007 polishing his serve at the practice courts of the Australian Open, this time in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts with uncle-coach Seńor Toni Nadal looking on.
Since he broke into the scene, Rafa has set his own records and realized his dreams: a career grand slam by winning all the four majors plus an Olympic gold medal (in singles and doubles), the youngest to win this and that, a number one world ranking, and the player who has won the most titles here and there, including a record 13 French Open titles!
When he returned to the tour in early 2013, after seventh months of injury, he entered nine tournaments and won seven of them! Rafael Nadal made a comeback look so utterly simple! After all the pain from the injury, all the worrying of how his knee would hold up and the doubts of gaining back his old form, he rose from all these to prove to us that he, indeed, is one super tennis player.
His return to tennis that year reminds me of Monica Seles and Martina Hingis' comebacks. When Monica returned from a break from tennis caused by that tragic stabbing, she immediately won her first tournament and even won another Australian Open title. Martina, on the other hand, in 2006, made it to the top 6 of the singles' ranking and even won three titles plus an Australian Open mixed doubles title.
Going back to the superman of the hour.
During the 2013 French Open, I was one of the millions of tennis fans all over the world watching Rafa's semi-final match against Novak Djokovic, the world number one then. Like everyone else, I thought Rafa would win the match and march on to another final by serving it out the fourth set. But unfortunately, he was broken and Nole forced a tie-break which Nole won. And even on the fifth set, the match was all see-saw and at some moments, it looked like Rafa would not be able to defend his title that year.
my hometown with Rafa being hand-carried)
But that's tennis. You never are sure that you have won the match until you shake hands at the net. And if that's tennis, that's also Rafa. His opponents are never sure they have won until the chair umpire has declared so. Even the top players have always admitted that, perhaps, the most difficult opponent to play against is Rafael Nadal. And at that very entertaining semi-final, which was worthy of a final, I would have given out two trophies for the two. (I would love to have a copy of that match, by the way. That one is a classic!).
And as I watched him play at the French Open (sadly, on TV only!), Rafa was just relentless. He didn't give any free points away. His opponents had to earn them. His left-handed forehand was so mean with lots of topspin, which I think, had more revolutions than the combined revolutions of our planet in its whole lifetime. His down-the-line forehand was spectacular to watch; it was just as straight as the white side-line at the Philippe Chatrier court.
And his defense that year was just as formidable. He scrambled from one side to the other, sliding and gliding on the red clay as a figure skater would on ice. He sliced, lobbed and dealt with any blow like Superman would. But unlike the superhero, Rafael Nadal does not have a weakness on clay. Even if the tennis balls were made of kryptonite, he would still win.
Although at the finals match that year, his compatriot David Ferrer didn't give him any scare, a couple of attention-seeking incidents gave the 2013 French Open Men's Finals some sideshows. The title had belonged to Rafa for the eighth time that year. He is royalty at Roland Garros and at the European clay courts. He truly is the master and king of clay.
When I was in Manila in early 2013, I went into a bookstore looking for his book, simply titled, RAFA. The staff told me it was the last copy and got it at a sale price of only PHP200 (about US$5). A steal! Over the next few weeks, I slowly read his book when I was on the road, at home, on the plane or even at the subway. Rafa recounted where it all started and how he became this huge superstar of tennis with both of his feet planted on the ground. He remains humble and close to his family and loyal to his hometown of Manacor in Mallorca, Spain.
He is one likable superstar. Even with his stellar achievements, he seems just like an ordinary person with whom everyone, especially his millions of fans, can easily relate to.
So, why does the world need a Rafael Nadal?
Well, there are millions of reasons each of his millions of fans can give. But we can start with these: because we have a lot to learn from him, we love to watch him play, we like him for his humility, talent, and devotion to his discipline.
But above all, I think, the world needs Rafael Nadal because he is our own superman.
(Rafa's book and my breakfast on the weekend
he won his 8th French Open in 2013!
Now that he has his 13th French Open
and his 20th GS title,
I think my breakfast should level up, too!)
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