Below is my tribute to Rafael Nadal - a tennis player who has inspired millions of kids like me to strive for great things in life.
Nadal the Tennis Player
My first introduction to Nadal happened in the most cliched manner. It was right after his most famous win at Wimbledon in 2008. Before dropping us off to school on July 7th, 2008, my dad was watching the news and the big headline was that Nadal had dethroned Roger Federer in Wimbledon in an epic 5-set battle. My dad told me at the time, “Watch out for this guy, he looks like a great player. You see his long hair? It looks like noodles. Remember his name as Nadal using that analogy”. I did not watch much tennis at that point, so I had no idea what to do with that statement. But I did remember his name from then on and was soon fascinated by watching him play.
My mom and I were Nadal fans and my sister was a Djokovic fan. We should have realized these choices were a clear indication of impending house drama, and that is exactly what happened during the 2012 Australian Open finals. My dad picked Djokovic’s side since he supports the underdogs (looking back now, Djokovic was the clear clear favorite, don’t know what my dad was thinking). What ensued in that match was an epic battle, greatness on both sides and sport at its peak. Djokovic won by the barest of margins in a 6-hour-long thriller. After the loss, I created mayhem in the house and went back to my room gutted. But looking back at that match now, it is the highest quality match I have ever seen Nadal play. To understand the magnitude and context of that match, to understand Nadal himself better, I strongly recommend reading this amazing piece by Brian Phillips (I tear up badly every time I read it).
Over the years, Nadal has been a constant banker for victories for me (if you follow sports, you will know your happiness can depend on the team/player you support). He always wins the French Open and it was no different in the pandemic year. When everyone was going through difficult times in 2020, he provided some normalcy in the absurd year by winning Roland Garros for the 13th time. But to me, the 2022 Australian Open will always have a special place in my heart. For context, he was out for 6 months at the end of 2021 with a career-threatening foot injury and recovered from COVID just before reaching Melbourne in January. He somehow managed to reach the Australian Open finals. But there, against the most in-form player on tour, he was down two sets and staring at a triple break point (lose a point from there and it is mostly over). But Nadal is a warrior who never gives up (more on this later). He clawed his way out and made a comeback at a micro (this match) and macro (from career-ending injury) level to win a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam and more importantly a second Australian Open (after 4 consecutive finals losses there). The timing of this was so lucky for me since I was going through one of the most difficult phases in my life, and after seeing this miracle, I believed that I could overcome whatever I was facing as well.
Some of my favorite things about Nadal’s tennis? Favorite Slam to watch Nadal play: Australian Open (the quality of matches and his story there is well expressed by Owen Lewis in this blog post). Favorite match: 2022 Australian Open finals (both my favorite players were involved). Favorite record of Nadal: 912 weeks in the top 10 (despite losing tournaments due to injuries). Favorite Nadal outfits: All the photos shown in this blog post. Favorite shot: 360-degree backhand slice. But honestly, I am just as happy to see him hit any other shot on the court. I get the same feeling of watching him as many people get when they watch Messi or Federer even though Nadal’s style is not as angelic as theirs.
Nadal the Person
What kind of a person is Nadal? What are the qualities I like about him? Firstly, his humility. Humility is a word that gets casually thrown around a lot of public figures, including Federer, Messi, Djokovic, and so on. They are humble yes, but more so from a public expectation of humility than actually internalizing it. Nadal is different. You can hear it when he speaks. He believes he is not special compared to normal people because of hitting a yellow ball very well or that he believes he needs to play his best even against a 200th-ranked player. Secondly, his humor, which I believe is underrated and rarely spoken of. Then, his compartmentalization - of points, matches, and events. If he loses a point, either due to a great shot by the opponent or a silly mistake from himself, he quickly moves on to the next point. He to me epitomizes the famous saying from the Bhagavad Gita “You have the right to perform your duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your action” to the closest extent I have seen. Then, his honesty - saying things as they are without mincing words (see the humor video for examples). Lastly, his tenacity. His ability to fight the hardest when the chips are down and his ability to intellectually solve problems under pressure help him find a way when there does not seem to be one possible.
But why does he mean so much to me? Outside of close family and friends, he has been the biggest influence on my life and values. I have consumed countless hours of his content on the television and internet. I lived his matches like my own, his wins as my wins and his losses as my losses. My family and friends know how animated I get when I watch him play. I have learnt some important lessons in life by listening to his interviews and reading his autobiography. But on a fundamental level, I feel the passion, the energy, the commitment, and the emotions that he goes through when caring so much about something. That is why I loved having the opportunity to watch him compete every week.
My two cents on having an idol or role model
The topic of following/worshipping an idol can spark a lot of debate. The most notable argument against it is the bias it causes. Many people tend to believe (and defend) that whatever their idol does is correct, even in activities that are far from their expertise. Apart from this glaring problem, people also disregard the opportunity to explore other ways of living a better life and blindly follow their idol's approach towards many aspects of life. It is not only bad for the followers, but it is actually bad even for the role models themselves. Michael Jordan famously said the following statement in his "Last Dance" documentary: "I would never want to be considered a role model. It’s like a game that’s stacked against me. You know, there’s no way I can win."Even though these problems exist, I believe having someone to look up to is very helpful. Nadal himself has quoted that having Federer on the tour before him provided a great example of how to be a good person while also being successful. Having good examples makes it easier to, one, believe it is possible to achieve something, and two, find a pathway to achieve that something. I would end my two cents on this by leaving you with a quote I found on the internet long back (unable to track it unfortunately, so take only the essence of it), "don't blindly admire/follow your idols, but instead admire/follow the qualities you'd like to inherit from them". I believe that is a more healthy take for all parties involved.
The End
Time to flood the gates. So, why does it hurt that he is retiring? After all, he is some dude I have never met and he does not even know I exist. Even more realistic question, why would it hurt since he has barely played any tournaments over the last two years? I should be used to a life without watching him play tennis. It hurts because it marks the end of me watching him compete, an activity that engrossed me and in turn brought me a lot of happiness over the years. In a way, it is like mourning (the activity of watching him compete). And honestly, not watching him play the last two years has made it easier to accept this. But with Nadal, you always think there is a chance he will come back and start winning again. Now to realize that it will never happen is the hard pill to swallow.
There are so many things I will miss about him leaving. Selfishly, the feeling of joy after watching him win will be a huge miss. But other smaller things like tracking his score, staying up late nights to watch him play, awaiting excitedly for his match the next day, listening to his matches and interviews on podcasts, watching him place his water bottles, the grunting, the fist pump, the collapsing-to-the-ground celebration, or biting the trophies… Too many things to count.
Honestly, the retirement has not sunk in yet, and I may not feel its effect now or in the next few years. But a few decades from now, when I am supporting another tennis star, and when they are down in the score, I would expect them to throw all their physical and mental capacity to win the point. I would expect them to show the belief, the tenacity, the passion, the humility to modify their game plan, the willingness to put every sinew into the point and go as hard as possible. But they don’t. That is when I will miss him. Probably the most important thing I will miss is the trust in the player. The trust to give everything in their capacity to win. Something I expect of myself, and something I knew I could expect from Nadal too. As with everything in life, trust mostly comes with time. But sometimes, with some people, you don’t need that time. Because you understand them and it is meant to be. That was the case for me with Nadal. I was meant to be a Rafael Nadal fan.
P.S. No, this is not a love letter to Nadal. Both of us are straight, unfortunately.