Will Nadal repeat in 2009?

Posted by Dan Brown on October 11, 2008

Few athletes ever enjoy the the kind of year that Rafael Nadal enjoyed in 2008. After winning his fourth consecutive French Open title he went on the beat Roger Federer, the ‘King’ of Wimbledon on the grass, then to Beijing where he won the Gold Medal, and just this past week he led his Spanish team to a win over the US team in the semi finals of the Davis Cup. They will meet Argentina, who upset Russia in the other semi final, in the Final next month. He also won his share of tour events, a couple played on hard courts, and he was recently awarded the coveted humanitarian Austrarias Award. Rafa said that winning this award is the best thing that has ever happened to him outside of the tennis court, “it tells me,” he said, “that I’m doing the right thing when it comes to human values.” I wonder what his girl friend Maria Francesca Perello has to say about his statement, I’m sure she believes that she is the best thing to happen to him off the court. Their relationship is in its third year, and ‘Xesca’ as she is called, is considered to be a part of the family. She was introduced to Rafa by his sister Isabel.

For most tennis fans around the world, Rafa’s onslaught onto the scene has been welcomed. He has huge popularity, a ‘different’ personality to other players, and has brought the game to the attention of a wide audience that had but a fleeting interest in the game. His outrageous dress code, his long hair and his muscles have made him recognizable and synonymous with tennis. He has risen as high as its possible to get in the game of tennis, and he has proved himself to be a polite and courteous ambassador of the game. His ambition is to win the Grand Slam title, he would be the first in the modern era, but to do that he must first win a Major title on the hard courts of either the US Open or the 2009 Australian Open.

There can be no doubt that Nadal is the best clay court player in the game today, maybe the best ever. He deserves so much credit for learning to adapt his game to the grass courts of Wimbledon, and in beating the best grass court player in the world. He looked tired in the US Open, and was defeated by Andy Murray in the semi final. His game’s excellence depends largely on his fitness and speed, he has to be in top physical condition to execute many of his shots, and what he lacks in tennis technique he makes up for with his strength and speed. But for how long? His body takes a tremendous toll from his unorthodox style, most players could not withstand such pounding. Is he any different? Will his body break down, and put him out of action with one injury after another? Can a player who plays with so much energy last as number 1 for more than a year or two, or will Rafa become a forgotten boy wonder by the end of 2009?