(ESP-ENG) Rafael Nadal dijo adiós! [Opinión]
Hello friends, good vibes to all.
When we speak of elite athletes, of those who for me reached the Olympus of their respective disciplines, without a doubt we have to name Rafael Nadal, “La Fiera” or “The King of Clay”, a guy that every time I saw him play I knew that his physical and mental dedication was guaranteed. This led him to win everything a tennis player can opt for, 22 Grand Slams, 14 of which I believe are the Roland Garros, and he even had the opportunity to win the Olympic gold twice, both individually and in pairs. He did it all, he gave it all in the three surfaces that this sport has and that is why from a while ago the body began to take its toll.
I am sure that if he were not suffering from all these physical problems, we would probably continue to see him maybe until he was 40 years old. But fate would have it otherwise, and it was a couple of years ago, in Australia if I remember correctly, when the ordeal began for him. A ruptured iliac tendon was the first warning and the one that forced him to take a break from the courts for a while. The issue with these athletes is that mentally they are 20 years old but the body is not in the same tune and that is something that frustrated Nadal a lot, he found it hard to assimilate that as time went by and the days went by he was becoming an ex-tennis player. Many went through the same situation, Federer also hung up the racket because the physical no longer responded.
I have always thought that tennis is one of the most demanding and demanding sports in the world because it is one where you use your whole body, every muscle in it, every joint is demanded to the maximum in matches lasting more than 3 hours. If we add to this that Rafa was at the top for 22-23 years, it is not complicated to understand that the body is no longer the same and is much older than the lucidity and desire. As I said Nadal is one of the best tennis players not only in the world but in the history of the sport, at the beginning or at least about 10 years ago, he thought very convinced that he was going to become the greatest in terms of numbers, at times he was heading for it but around him was and still is, a Novak Djokovic who in a very consistent way is still at the top.
But in these cases you have to take something into account and that is transcendence. I must say that I was and we were very lucky, if you are a tennis fan, to witness the era of these tennis players. Watching a match between Nadal and Federer, to name them who are already retired, was a reason to stop whatever I was doing to sit in front of the TV at whatever time it was, at night if it was the US Open or in the early morning if we were watching the Australian Open, to enjoy something surely very top. And I say this because there is a special match, a Wimbledon final, 2008 or 2009, where these two giants met in 5 long sets so that in the end Rafa ended up taking away an important streak of consecutive victories to Federer. That final was one of the best matches I've ever seen in my life, and if it's not one of the best in the history of the sport, beware.
In the message of more than 4 minutes where he explains his decision he makes clear that his last tournament will be in November, the Davis Cup, with his country's team. One of the greatest and most complete athletes in the history not only of tennis but of sport in general, so much so that if there were a top 10 he should be in an undisputed way. An athlete with a resilience like few others, he fought every point, every game, set and match, tireless; to this day he is the tennis player for me that best defended, he had not two lungs but 4, he was incredibly fast on any court and the power both in the backhand and in the parallel I think that few matched it.
He has 92 titles in his bag, 63 of which are on clay. There is not and probably will not be a tennis player as dominant on clay as Nadal; winning his first Roland Garros at the age of 19 was already an omen of what was to come. The new generations are advancing which is synonymous that we are getting older, it is difficult not to see in the tournaments the three together (Nadal, Federer and Nole) but well, they are eras that end to give rise to others. He left Mallorca but we are left with his legacy.
¡Un abrazo a todos, nos leemos en la próxima!
Well my people that's all for today, I hope you liked it.
¡Hugs to all, see you next time!
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Lo dio todo en cancha, es hora de descansar. Muy buen resumen! Saludos.
Muchas gracias por leer.
Saludos!!
Rafa es uno de los mejores tenista de la historia, junto a Nole y Roger. Un Big three que le dió mucho al deporte blanco y que como todo en la vida tiene un final. Nadal fue alguien quien cambio el deporte, un juego aguerrido que nunca se dió por vencido, tenia un defensa brutal y un contra ataque como muy poco. Se retiró un grande que que dejó un gran legado en el tenis.
Excelente artículo. Saludos!
Gracias por leer amigo.
Así es, dudo que vuelvan a existir tenistas como Nadal, por lo menos en tierra batida lo dificulto. El dominio que tenía en esa superficie no se la he visto a nadie, no siquiera a Alcaraz que pinta a ser su "sucesor".
Uno de los más grandes de la historia sin lugar a dudas!
Ciertamente, estimado. Cómo él no habrán dos.