I love my sports and I love the way that it can bring the best and worst of people's character under pressure and in adversity.
Tonight I was witness to something that was a severe downer, yet, at the same time, an uplifting insight into one of tennis' greatest ever talents; that being Rafael Nadal. Rafer as some of you who follow tennis know, is as humble a champion as you are likely to ever come across in any sport. At times he still seems almost painfully shy. Yet it was not in victory that the stature of his character grew tonight, but in defeat.
In his quater final defeat against fellow country man David Ferrer that Raffer showed the true heart of a champion.
In the second game of the first set (which lasted 18+ minutes), Raffer strained/pulled his left hamstring. He recieved treatment and continued to play on. Now let me make this perfectly clear; this was not the Raffer everyone knows. His movement was severly hampered particularly to his forehand and his service game was almost crippled. His ability to turn defense into offense was destroyed. His service game for the most part was down a good 20-30 km/hour (on occasion up to 40 kms/hr below average).
If anyone here has had a hamstring injury you would sympathise. It is one injury that can go from a strain or a pull to a full blown tear very quickly, especially under the stress Raffer puts his body under.
He was in obvious discomfort at various stages of the match but continued on.
Raffer was going for two rare feats at the begining of the Australian Open. The first was the the claim of owning all four slams at the one time (consecutively) and the other was a grand slam. Raffer had mentioned in the press earlier in the week that he was aware that could and may be the only time in his creer that he might be able to achieve both. The pain emotionally for him was also visible on the court. Before the 4th game of the third and final set Raffer sat in his chair, close to tears, realizing what was splipping away from him. He simply wiped the would be tears away, got up and finished what he came to do...play a full game of tennis, regardless of the outcome.
The commentators along with most of the viewing audience (tv) expected him to pull the plug after the end of either of the first two sets; but he didn't. I couldn't tell you why. Most would have packed it in after the first set.
Maybe it was his own stubborn pride. Maybe it was out of respect to his fellow countryman Ferrer that he felt he had to finish the match. Maybe he wanted to try to give the fans who pay good money in a packed house to see him, their money's worth. Maybe it is just in his character to not chuck it in, even though it was apparent to all that he would get beaten.
Maybe it was a combination of all those things and much more that made him stay out on that court and take his beating like a man.
I think that it is defeat that we sometimes see the greatest qualities in individuals come to the fore, and not just in sport, but in life.
As they were walking off, you could see Ferrer ask Nadal why he kept going. I don't know what the answer was but in defeat he gained even more respect (in my eyes at least).
I had a lot of respect for him as a sportsman before this. I have even more now, as both a sportsman and an indiviual. It takes alot of courage to stay out there while your body betrays you and you know you won't win.
He will come back of course and probably win more open titles, but this defeat highlighted this young man's character better than any of his victories ever could.
JMO
Btw..the final score 6-4, 6-2, 6-3
Tonight I was witness to something that was a severe downer, yet, at the same time, an uplifting insight into one of tennis' greatest ever talents; that being Rafael Nadal. Rafer as some of you who follow tennis know, is as humble a champion as you are likely to ever come across in any sport. At times he still seems almost painfully shy. Yet it was not in victory that the stature of his character grew tonight, but in defeat.
In his quater final defeat against fellow country man David Ferrer that Raffer showed the true heart of a champion.
In the second game of the first set (which lasted 18+ minutes), Raffer strained/pulled his left hamstring. He recieved treatment and continued to play on. Now let me make this perfectly clear; this was not the Raffer everyone knows. His movement was severly hampered particularly to his forehand and his service game was almost crippled. His ability to turn defense into offense was destroyed. His service game for the most part was down a good 20-30 km/hour (on occasion up to 40 kms/hr below average).
If anyone here has had a hamstring injury you would sympathise. It is one injury that can go from a strain or a pull to a full blown tear very quickly, especially under the stress Raffer puts his body under.
He was in obvious discomfort at various stages of the match but continued on.
Raffer was going for two rare feats at the begining of the Australian Open. The first was the the claim of owning all four slams at the one time (consecutively) and the other was a grand slam. Raffer had mentioned in the press earlier in the week that he was aware that could and may be the only time in his creer that he might be able to achieve both. The pain emotionally for him was also visible on the court. Before the 4th game of the third and final set Raffer sat in his chair, close to tears, realizing what was splipping away from him. He simply wiped the would be tears away, got up and finished what he came to do...play a full game of tennis, regardless of the outcome.
The commentators along with most of the viewing audience (tv) expected him to pull the plug after the end of either of the first two sets; but he didn't. I couldn't tell you why. Most would have packed it in after the first set.
Maybe it was his own stubborn pride. Maybe it was out of respect to his fellow countryman Ferrer that he felt he had to finish the match. Maybe he wanted to try to give the fans who pay good money in a packed house to see him, their money's worth. Maybe it is just in his character to not chuck it in, even though it was apparent to all that he would get beaten.
Maybe it was a combination of all those things and much more that made him stay out on that court and take his beating like a man.
I think that it is defeat that we sometimes see the greatest qualities in individuals come to the fore, and not just in sport, but in life.
As they were walking off, you could see Ferrer ask Nadal why he kept going. I don't know what the answer was but in defeat he gained even more respect (in my eyes at least).
I had a lot of respect for him as a sportsman before this. I have even more now, as both a sportsman and an indiviual. It takes alot of courage to stay out there while your body betrays you and you know you won't win.
He will come back of course and probably win more open titles, but this defeat highlighted this young man's character better than any of his victories ever could.
JMO
Btw..the final score 6-4, 6-2, 6-3
