From winning hearts with a classy gesture to console a tearful Federer, 13 years on, Rafael Nadal made millions of fans shed tears and bask in his own glory in Melbourne
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Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer
‘If things continue like this, thinking that maybe is a chance to say goodbye!’ Rafael Nadal cut into an emotional figure as he narrated his struggles in 2021, after reaching his sixth Australian Open finals. Little did he know, that just 2 days on from his four-set win over Matteo Berrettini, he was going to script history and rewrite the record books once again.
Rafael Nadal embodies the words, self-belief and perseverance because that is what explains his rising from the bottom more often than not. On a historic night at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday, a Russian tragically lost his inner child, whereas, a Spaniard rediscovered that young buoyant kid in himself who just wants to feel happy doing the thing he loves the most.
The day, January 30, 2022 will certainly go down as the one where Rafael Nadal assumed the lead in the GOAT race, by claiming an unprecedented 21st major. But for those who know a thing or two about Rafa, they will remember this special night at Rod Laver Arena as the one where Nadal’s never-give up attitude prevailed once again, although the odds were stacked up against him.
A 22-year-old young Spaniard shows absolute humility in victory; shies away from celebrating to help an inconsolable Federer
Rewind to 2009, a 22-year-old Rafael Nadal was absolutely dominating on the biggest stages. The Spaniard ended Roger Federer’s streak of five consecutive Wimbledon titles in 2008, and went on to claim a fourth consecutive French Open title. Perhaps, the 2009 Australian Open final was one of the most important and emotional finals, Roger Federer has ever played in.
Just like their battle six months ago at Wimbledon, the final in Melbourne was another five-set battle. At this point in time, the two rivals had just about made it a habit of keeping their fans on the edge of their seats. It was Nadal who ran riot in the fifth and final set to claim his first ever Australian Open title, and sixth overall major. For Roger Federer, it was yet another final defeat to the youngster, and what hurt him more was the fact that it was on his preferred surface, hard courts.
Most fans inside the stadium and those watching from the screens back home expected it to be a routine trophy giving ceremony. However, what unfollowed was a display of pure sportsmanship from Nadal. While giving his speech, the Swiss maestro broke down in tears and was overwhelmed with emotions. Perhaps, the back-to-back defeats in the finals of a major was a bit too much to handle for Federer.
To give Roger some time to gather himself, Rafael Nadal was called upon to the stage and presented his first ever Australian Open title. The Spaniard, in a classy gesture, went to straight to his opponent and put an arm around his shoulder and seemed to be consoling him. Even during his victory speech, he seemed too apologetic to even celebrate the title and kept it rather subtle, aware of Federer’s vulnerability.
“I really know how you feel right now. It’s tough but you remember you are a great champion. One of the best in history and you are gonna improve the 14 of Sampras,” said Nadal to Federer in his broken English. These words are alone enough to justify what a great and a humble person the kid from Mallorca was.
So close, YET so far: A tale of Rafael Nadal and his Australian Open journey from 2010-2021
For a player of Rafael Nadal’s caliber, it sometimes seems that the Spaniard has underachieved himself in Melbourne. Or maybe it was just not meant to be? In the finals in 2012, he came up against a raging Serbian in the form of Novak Djokovic, who completely revolutionized tennis.
From 2, we now had the ‘Big Three’ in its very nascent stages. They battled for almost 6 hours, and in the end, it was Djokovic who reigned supreme in a five set thriller. The Spaniard had his chances, and with a break up in the fifth set, the second Australian Open title was just within grabs.
Two years later in 2014, he again managed to reach the finals. This time he came up against Stan Wawrinka who infact was playing his first ever Grandslam final. It was unfortunate ending for an injury-marred Rafael Nadal once again, as he went down fighting in four sets to the Swiss. It was still a valiant effort from the then 27-year-old, as he played the majority of the match through an injury.
Three years later and having just recovered from a six-month wrist injury, Rafael Nadal was back among the reckoning in a major final, as this time he came up against his old foe, Roger Federer, who himself was coming back from a long injury layoff. The result was no different from the previous years, as the Spaniard ended up on the losing side once again in five sets. If there was one final where you can say tennis was the real winner, then it was this epic vintage battle between the two modern day greats of tennis.
Rafael Nadal’s wait for a second Australian Open title continued in 2019, when he was absolutely demolished by Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the final. His loss in 2019 meant he lost four successive Australian Open finals. In 2020 and 2021, he lost to Next Gen stars, Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarerfinals.
With a career-ending foot injury in the second half of 2021 season, not many expected Rafael Nadal to even get close to the title. But what followed was a clear reminder of the phrase: Never write off champions!
Tears of satisfaction as long wait for Melbourne glory ends in a fitting manner
A fairytale ending– An aspect of sport that we as fans love the most. For Rafael Nadal, it was quite a fairytale ending on Sunday in a fully packed RLA, as he came back from two sets down to secure his second Australian Open title, which had the entire stadium on their feet. Daniil Medvedev, who was considered to the Big Three disruptor, after stopping Novak Djokovic from claiming his 21st major at US Open 2021, started off the match on the front foot which left Rafa searching for answer.
Rafael Nadal realized that he was clearly not the better player out of the two, but he knew he had the stronger mentality and inner self-belief. If there was one man who could script this comeback, Nadal knew it was himself. After being two sets down, the Spaniard looked energized as ever, and came up with a new tactic which could Medvedev off-guard.
The Russian was made to work harder for his points, the 35-year-old just put a little bit more venom into his strikes. The result was that after almost 5 and a half hours of ruthless back and forth tennis, Nadal did the unthinkable.
His reaction after Daniil Medvedev failed to return his volley on championship point was of disbelief. He smiled, had his hands over his face, unaware of what had actually happened.
Thousands of Rafa fans, perhaps even millions of Rafa fans broke down seeing him lift the title in a city which has given him some of the worst heartbreaks. What made it even more special was the fact that just 4 months ago, the Spaniard was on crutches not knowing that he could even set foot on the court once again. He won over millions of fans with his heart touching tribute to Federer during the 2009 speech, now, he made the entire tennis community bask and shed tears of joy in his own victory.
Perhaps, maybe one can say it was all written in the stars for Rafael Nadal. An extraordinary once-in-a-lifetime comeback from two sets down, a comeback from a career ending injury and a landmark 21st major title….
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Nirmit Mehta
(2425 Articles Published)