I’m a Fed fan first and foremost. No close second.
But I’m sure there are many Fed fans around here who would agree that Nadal is simply extraordinary.
He retired injured today and he’s catching a lot of flak for it - And for his grinding style and medical timeouts. ( something legal and which Fed is increasingly familiar with we should admit.)
But Man, The Dude. Is. A. Freaking. Warrior.
I watched him play much of that match with Schwartzman, hoping as a Fed fan the little dude would take it. The Shwartz was playing incredible. Redlining and painting the lines. Seriously extremely high-quality and he was on fire.
But it became plain clear enough that he just had no chance. Rafa just wore him out time after time after time with quality positioning, great defending, consistent court placement, incredible spin, and his usual unmatched intensity that just would not go away as Schwartzman faded.
I know it was only Schwartzman. But he was playing at an extremly high quality and that’s not really the point. Nadal Was just doing what he always does: taking just about everything anybody can throw at him and sending it back with interest. And it just reminded me that even when he isn’t playing his best-which I don’t think he was playing his best that day - no one is more committed than Nadal.
What keeps him down most of the time -is simply his body. It’s not his commitment or will and it’s not his underrated skill and brilliance.
You can fault him for grinding it out and making his body suffer for that, but he’s a massively gifted physical and mental athlete with an incredible drive to win and a work ethic that’s insane. World class Athletes pay a price for that. Fed’s not the rule on longevity at his level. ...That’s another way to look at it.
He’s number one in the world at 31 and even now his play bears out that when healthy he is usually able to vanquish just about everybody he plays - except Fed off clay.
Simply put : His body holds up today and Cilic goes home. Losing the war of attrition to the Bull like just about everybody else.
Even after last year, there is nobody I would rather Fed play less than Rafa. The scar tissue is too thick in my brain to ever actually want to see him on the other side of the net from the GOATERER.
He’s probably one of the two best players in history, in large part due to how he’s responded to Federer’s greatness with his own brand.
Much more I could say about Rafa. And even though some of his fans here leave a lot to be desired by the way they post - (and some Fed fans can be likewise obnoxious)-that’s not his fault.
So a universe size tip of the hat to the extraordinary Rafa, and wishes for a speedy recovery, provided of course, that he never catches Fed’s slam count.
