That Rafael Nadal could play for so long and so well was down to how he evolved.
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Whenever a favourite sportsperson retires, there is a part of us that dies inside. It did when Sachin Tendulkar bid adieu and it did when Roger Federer waved goodbye. As Julian Barnes wrote in Levels of Life, “What is taken away is greater than the sum of what was there. This may not be mathematically possible; but it is emotionally possible.”
Rafael Nadal’s exit from competitive tennis is sure to leave a similar feeling. For two decades, the Spaniard – winner of 22 Majors, 92 Tour titles, a ludicrously high 14 French Opens, two Olympic Gold medals and five Davis Cups – did not just occupy the court but pervaded every inch of our collective minds. Now, this long-lasting love story will be a thing of the past.
However, when fans look at Nadal’s career in retrospect, its radiance in their memories would have swelled manifold. He first burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old in 2004 when Federer was the numero uno. While the Swiss’ ethereal style of play had mesmerised the world, Nadal, with his more down-to-earth rugged artistry, carved out a niche.
Rafael Nadal serves to Roger Federer during their semifinal match of the French Open in June, 2005
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AP
His performances on the red dirt (14 French Opens, 63 trophies in all), and a game built on supreme athleticism and topspin-heavy strokes may have stereotyped him as a warrior and a brutalist, but he was far from a one-surface master.
All-court excellence
Nadal was adept on the Wimbledon grass – two titles, three finals and three semifinals – where his razor-sharp instincts, magic hands and first-rate volleying shone through.
Hard courts did trouble him, with the unforgiving surface causing significant wear and tear, from his back to both his hips, knees and all the way down to his toes. There was a stretch in 2017-18 where he withdrew or retired from 11 of the 12 hard-court events he entered.
But that did not…