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A little tribute to Rafa, runner up in the 2014 Australian Open
Men’s Final
I was expecting to be ecstatic right now, celebrating Rafa’s
win over Stan to achieve his 14th Grand Slam title and double
career slam having won all four major tournaments twice.
But that it not to be.
And not because Rafa wasn’t up to the task from a tennis skills
point of view, but because he was injured.
Which takes me back to all the ups and downs of Rafa’s career,
both due to his incredible skill and sportsmanship and his
injuries.
Occasionally I indulge my Rafa fan-dom here on the blog and
tonight I need to do that again, even though I’m not sure what
to write except that Rafa will always be a true champion.
Instead of retiring he played on, winning a set, despite his
pain, which we all felt.
Rafa has battled back from injury so many times to get back to
top form, and that’s part of what makes his fans love him so
much.
He’s a champion in every aspect of the word.
He cares.
He fights.
He doesn’t retire.
And when he loses, he always respects his opponent.
And then there is the Feeling of Rafa that made this Australian
Open sensational. AO is always great, but last year,
there was a hole due to Rafa’s absence. So this year, to
have Rafa in the draw, to have him practicing regularly at the
grounds and to have him around Melbourne was really special.
Along with other fans, I get the “Feeling of Rafa” every time
he walks on court, for matches and for practice. Whether you’re
watching on TV or live, it’s a buzz that makes you glad you’re
a part of it. It makes you pay attention and makes you invest a
part of your happiness in whether he wins or loses. That’s one
of the reasons why Rafa has so many fans. We just want to have
an experience of him that we can share with other Rafa fans.
You can tell I love those moments by how many Rafa practice pic
photos I’ve shared on the blog this AO!
I was planning to write more about how I’m feeling but realised
that what I’ve written previously perfectly reflects my
feelings right now.
On missing Rafa at the 2013 Australian Open
I’ve been a tennis fan for a long time.
Long before Rafa was around.
So I’m not a tennis fan because of Rafa.
But for me, being a tennis fan is better because of him.
Much better.
Better due to his smile.
His energy.
His respect.
His skill.
His stamina.
His water bottles.
His biceps.
His Rafa-ness.
On Rafa’s loss to Novak in 2012
Australian Open 2012 was mega huge. Packed with heat, massive
crowds, drama and emotional turmoil.
While there were some things that happened that I didn’t love,
I still loved every minute of it.
I say that even though it all fell apart and I cried when Rafa
didn’t win the final.
Cried because I didn’t want him defeated by Djokovic again.
Cried because I really thought he was going to win.
Cried because so many people, along with me, invest so much in
whether or not he wins.
Cried due to the tension of a match that lasted nearly six
hours.
Side note from GSG: Even now, I’m still a bit scarred by
that final
Rafa warming up his left arm
On Rafa’s loss to David Ferrer in the 2011 AO Quarterfinal
This Australian Open, Rafael Nadal was playing to complete
the Rafa Slam. Winning the Grand Slam means winning all
four Grand Slam tournaments in the same calendar year;
Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.
The Rafa Slam was Rafa’s chance to win all four tournaments
in a row, starting with the French Open 2010, and finishing
with the Australian Open 2011.
Unfortunately, during a quarter final match against David
Ferrer, Rafa was hurt. He called the trainer really early in
the first set and the word around Twitter was that the issue
was muscle spasms in his back. Then, during the next
change of ends we saw the huge bandage on his thigh as Rafa
stretched out his left leg.
Rafa said in his press conference following the match that he
had a problem in the beginning, after that the match was
almost over.
But like a true champion, he didn’t withdraw. Rafa played on
to finish the match, albeit nearly in tears at times, which
bought many of his fans close to tears.
David Ferrer won in three sets. Fair play to him for playing
a great match against his friend and Davis Cup team mate. In
the post match interview with Jim Courier Ferrer spoke of
what a gentleman Rafa is. That’s certainly true.
And now the reality sets in. The Rafa Slam is over.
Imagine facing the thought of starting again and winning four
more slams. In a row.
But Rafa can do it. Because he’s a true champion. And
he loves playing tennis.
This is why I love tennis so much.
It’s about the games, the sets, the matches.
And it’s also about the players. As a fan, you feel like you
know them.
Celebrate the wins. And when they hurt, everybody hurts.
Rafa will be back
As Rafa fans we all appreciate every moment that he’s on
court and fit and healthy. He learns from every loss and it
makes him stronger. So Rafa fans, onward to Roland Garros,
Rafa’s hallowed turf! And in the meantime, thanks for being
there to share the moments.
Until next time
Grand Slam Gal
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