NADAL AT THE FRENCH OPEN As Rafael Nadal waited in Court Philippe Chatrier to receive the Coupe des Mousquetaires after etching his name in history as the first man to take eight titles at the hallowed arena, there was a serene calmness about him. From the moment he had entered the amphitheatre that day, Rafa had exhibited an amazing equanimity and incredible poise – there was hardly the show of celebration through fistpumps or the roar of Vamos! Was it just to show his respect to his opponent, David Ferrer , who was his friend and compatriot, or was it because the opposition was too light a challenge to bring out all his emotions? Or most importantly, was it a vindication that he had buried all the doubts and anxiety that had hovered in his mind during the first week of the French Open and thus brought to the fore his tranquil, stoic self? For Nadal, winning the French Open was as much of an announcement to the world that he had never forgotten how to excel at majors as it was a validation to his own mind that nothing has changed despite those seven months of sabbatical owing to Hoffa’s syndrome. For a passionate and hungry competitor like the Spaniard, it surely could’t been easy to watch his own arch- rivals rule the roost while he quietly convalesced in Mallorca. Knowing how deeply he invests himself every single day in the searing competition, and how much he dedicates himself to the sport he truly loves, staying away from the sport definitely wasn’t a comfortable period for him. Two Slams went by, the year-ending Championships sailed by, the Davis Cup final also passed by, but Rafa was never present anywhere. Even a professional of 12 years like Rafa couldn’t evade the seeds of doubt that were sowed in his mind during this period. Would he ever be able to get to where he was before after coming back from his longest hiatus? What did the future hold? Considering the southpaw’s problems with his knee, his return on the soft claycourts of South America in February was hailed as a welcome decision. He simply wanted to test the waters; he and his team never even thought of a miraculous comeback. “Five months ago nobody of my team dreamed about a comeback like this because we thought that it’s going to be impossible,” Rafa said after his win in Paris. And so it was. The former World No. 1 looked tentative, and seemed unsure of his movement at Vina del Mar. There was hardly the effortless sliding that Rafa is characterized with, his backhand hardly had the sheen it used to. It seemed like he was a warrior thrust into a battle scene without his armour. The armour was replaced the doubts that had enshrouded his mind. When he succumbed to Horacio Zeballos in the final at Chile, it became more prominent.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Jun 2013 04:22:23 +0000
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