In his quest to become the greatest ever, Rafael Nadal stopped short at last Sunday’s Australian Open final. However, the reason he didn’t win the trophy was the very reason why he is so great.
He is a physical specimen, a well oiled, well rigged athlete that is built to chase down every ball and battle for every point.
His career has been highlighted with some destructible tennis consisting of some of the most amazing shots.
It has also been categorised by also a number of untimely injuries which has recently turned his invincibility to vulnerability.
The intensity he shows in his face as he grimaces every time he hits the ball is consistent with the immense pressure he puts his body through point after point. Over his career he has consolidated the importance of a tennis player’s physical attributes.
The players of yesteryear such as Andre Agassi, John McEnroe and Boris Becker played the game with finesse and immense technicality.
They used their tennis IQ in order to win matches which created their legacies. This is a trend continued by Roger Federer who is seen to be one of the last of its kind.
Rafael Nadal has always had the answer for these types of players. He has changed the landscape of tennis and transformed what qualities the next generation of tennis players need in order to succeed.
Tennis has not escaped evolution and it is now clear what players like Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils offer.
They offer physically demanding tennis, a different type of athlete that relies on their physical prowess as opposed to tennis IQ.
The new breed of tennis players are quicker, have stronger shots and play longer rallies which are evident through both genders.
When comparing Nadal and Federer, the statistic that stands out is their head to head record of 23-10, which Nadal leads.
He is simply Federer’s kryptonite; his style exposes Federer’s weaknesses which is lack of speed and inability to move extensively in rallies.
Nadal’s dominance signals the end of the classic player which we’ve enjoyed the past forty years.
He can chase every ball down and not only defend it but turn it into an attacking shot.
Roger has no answer, but what does he have that Rafa doesn’t?
He has health and finesse, qualities that in tennis, equate to longevity.
Nadal certainly has the skill and arsenal to be the best of all time, but his style of play along with the physical pressure he puts his body through cannot be sustained much longer.
The result of this was magnified on Sunday’s Australian Open final.
It was clear that at 28, Rafa’s way of play finally caught up to him.
Whether, it’s his back, groin or knees Nadal’s approach to the game needs to change and his style of play along with it.
He needs to accept that father time will eventually catch up to him, consequentially meaning that he simply needs to adapt and evolve.
To do this he needs to take a page from his nemesis’ book. The way he won the third set of that final demonstrated that he can do it.
He was suffering physically from his injury but he won the set purely on his shot selection and tennis I.Q.
He covered more ground by standing in the middle of the baseline and used his angled ground strokes to succeed.
In the end, his head to head record will mean nothing because Federer has simply won more grand slams.
Nadal certainly didn’t deserve the harsh treatment he received from the impatient crowd but he needs to learn from that experience and reassess his playing style.
Both Pete Sampras and Roger Federer achieved vast dominance during their careers but also suffered very abrupt and sudden ends to their reign, he needs to make sure that he doesn’t endure the same fate.
Athletes enjoy their prime at different stages and various ages, with some periods lasting longer than others.
The most important thing for Nadal is to ensure that he is healthy to enable him to pro long his career.
This is done by minimising his injuries which in turn will give him the best opportunity to pursue Roger’s grand slam record and become the ‘Greatest of All Time’.
If you look at great athletes most of them have one thing in common and that is longevity.
It is their ability to adapt and evolve as they grow old that makes them truly great.
As dominating as he looks on the court Rafael Nadal is not immune to this. At 28, if managed correctly he can still conquer the world and become the greatest ever.
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